Class. 

Book 

GopvTlghtN 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE CHURCH AND THE 
PROBLEMS OF TO-DAY 



Books by Rev. George P. Schmidt 

Published by Benziger Brothers 



Each net $1.50. Postage 10 cents. 
THE CHURCH AND THE PROB- 
LEMS OF TO-DAY 

Contents.— Faith— The Bible— A Bureau o£ 
Standards — Hated by All — A Sign of Contradic- 
tion — Success or Failure — The Self-Starter — 
Too Many Irons in the Fire — False Gods — 
Honesty the Best Policy — Morality or Ruin? 
Censorship of Amusements — Small Beginnings — 
Doing Big Things — Community Centers— Vot- 
ing Women — Wedlock Sanctified — The Bul- 
wark of Nations — The Social Unrest — Prayer — 
The Fourth R — The Greatest Leader of All. 

THE PRINCIPAL CATHOLIC PRAC- 
TICES. 

A Popular Explanation of the Holy Sacra- 
ments and Catholic Devotions. 
The author claims that in our busy life we so 
easily lose our hold on things eternal that it is 
therefore necessary from time to time to re- 
fresh our soUls with the contemplation of the 
service and the consolations which are afforded 
us by the beautiful devotions and practices of 
our Religion. 

THE CATHOLIC AMERICAN 

Contents. — The Citizen — The Prominent 
Catholic— The Practical Catholic— The Catholic 
Press — Church Support — Catholic Missions — 
Winning America — The Problem of Problems — 
The Spirit of the Times — Mixed Marriages — 
Sex Hygiene or Purity — Our Pride and Our 
Hope — Evolution — Spiritualism — Freemasonry — 
Catholic Societies — The Soul's Vacation — Your 
Best Friend. 

THE AMERICAN PRIEST 

Contents. — At Home — With His Fellow 
Priests — Zeal — In the Pulpit — Loyalty — In the 
Parochial School — Leprosy — With Young Men 
and Young Women — In the Homes of His 
People — The Prominent Citizen — Humility— In 
Social Work — Kindness. 



THE CHURCH AND THE 
PROBLEMS OF TO-DAY 

BY 

REV. GEORGE T. SCHMIDT 




New York, Cincinnati, Chicago 

BENZIGER BROTHERS 

PRINTER8 TO THE I PUBLISHERS OF 

HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE | BENZIGER'S MAGAZINE 

1921 



HUjU meted. 

ARTHUR J. SCANLAN, S.T.D., 

Censor lAbrorum. 



^PATRICK J. HAYES, D.D., 

Archbishop of New York. 



New Yoke, Norember 19, 1920. 



Copyright, 1921, by Benzioer Brothers 

APR 12 1921 
©CU611633 



TO 

MY MOTHER and FATHER 



PREFACE 

IN the midst of contradictory beliefs of every 
description, the world is at a loss to know 
what should be accepted as true. Theories are 
conceived, as it were, over night; long-estab- 
lished customs are abandoned ; doctrines of un- 
questionable authenticity are ruthlessly over- 
thrown, — in a word, chaos reigns in the world 
of thought and deed. But one institution re- 
tains the stability of centuries; and men and 
women of judgment hopefully turn their eyes 
to her, the one whom ages and changes have 
not altered — the Roman Catholic Church. 

It is with the hope that this book may aid 
Catholics to remain faithful to the Church and 
stand by her in these difficult times, and that it 
may be the means of attracting the many, who 
are sincere in their efforts to find a trustworthy 



Preface 

guide through the maze of beliefs and unbe- 
liefs, to a more thorough investigation of the 
Catholic Church, that it is given to press. May- 
God prosper its mission, is the sincere wish of 

The Author. 



CONTENTS 



/ITT AprnPD 




PAOB 


I 


Faith . 


11 


II 


The Bible 


19 


III 


A Bureau of Standards . 


. 28 


IV 


Hated by All .... 


. 36 


V 


A Sign of Contradiction . 


. 42 


VI 


Success or Failure . 


. 49 


VII 


The Self-Starter 


. 56 


VIII 


Too Manv Irons in the Fire 


. 64 


IX 




71 


X 


TTnTiP<ji"v trip "Rpct T^Aiif*\r 

Xi-UliCo L V 9 L11C UCot X LMlV^y • 


77 


XT 






XII 


V^CIlOLU olll Kf KJL XJl±x1L1>jCX11C11 


89 


XIII 


Small T$pcnnninp , q 


. 96 


XTV 


"Dninrr "Rio* nPVnnorc 

XvUIllL' JLI 1 Li X 11111 sio • • • 


* J. 


XV 

u\. V 


v/OiimiuiiiLy v/ciixcio • • 


. Ill 


XVI 


Voting Women . . . . 


. 117 


XVII 


Wedlock Sanctified . 


. 123 


XVIII 


The Bulwark of Nations 


w 129 


XIX 


The Social Unrest . . . 


> 138 


XX 




. 145 


XXI 


The Fourth R . . . . 


. 153 


XXII 


The Greatest Leader of All 


. 160 



THE CHURCH AND THE 
PROBLEMS OF TODAY 



CHAPTER I 

FAITH 

In some respects our times may be com- 
pared to that period of contradictory be- 
liefs that immediately preceded the coming of 
the Redeemer. Paganism and idolatry were 
rampant; and but one group of human beings 
remained which steadfastly clung to the truth. 
The Jewish race, buoyed up by the hope in 
the coming of a Saviour, never relinquished its 
belief in the One True God. But by far the 
majority of men were steeped in unbelief and 
paganism. 

Is it not the same in our own day? A host 

of diametrically opposed beliefs are clamoring 

11 



12 



Faith 



for recognition. Men and women of the 
twentieth century fully realize that, in spite of 
modern philosophy, man demands religion, and 
demands a deity to whom he may flee in need, 
and from whom he may expect protection and 
assistance. This inborn yearning for the su- 
pernatural manifests itself in the potpourri of 
religious sects that, like a plague of locusts, 
infest the nations and threaten the life and 
growth of the tree that has sprung from the 
mustard seed. 

The one dogma of private interpretation of 
the Scriptures, which was adopted some four 
hundred years ago, is responsible for the great 
number of religious denominations (shall I 
add, is also responsible for much unbelief and 
apostasy?). 

But out of the past we hear the voice of One 
whose words bear the stamp of infallibility, 
"Whosoever does not believe shall be con- 
demned." Is it possible that any belief will 
satisfy Him? Will the three hundred differ- 
ing professions of faith be equally acceptable 



Faith 



13 



to the Eternal Truth? Impossible. The 
holiness of God postulates that a faith to be 
recognized as pleasing to Him must be founded 
upon the truth, the whole truth and nothing 
but the truth. Neither can the truth accom- 
modate itself to the times. It is unchanged 
and unchangeable. What was divine revela- 
tion at the time of the apostles must be true to- 
day. 

Now a comparison of the various forms of 
belief of our times with the religion propounded 
by the apostles will reveal the incontrovertible 
fact that but one religion to-day is identical 
with the early Christian Faith, namely, the 
Roman Catholic Religion. We need but call 
attention to the doctrine of the Real Presence 
of the Master in the Holy Eucharist. No one 
can deny that Christians everywhere from the 
very beginning of the Christian era until the 
time of Luther held the Eucharist to be the 
Body and Blood of the Saviour, and that they 
considered this to be the central and pivotal 
doctrine of the entire Deposit of Faith. We 



14 



Faith 



should seek in vain for any similar doctrine 
among the Protestant sects. 

This fact of the prevalence of error in our 
day is of the greatest importance to the prac- 
tical Catholic. He will associate, in his social 
and commercial relations, with men and women 
who are followers of the many branches of re- 
ligious error. Not only will he hold inter- 
course with members of sects that have sep- 
arated from the true Church; but he will have 
to deal with atheists, with pantheists, with the 
devotees of New Thought and with fellow- 
men influenced by every shade of modern be- 
lief and unbelief. 

No one can underestimate the danger to his 
faith. He must, therefore, be well-grounded 
in Catholic belief; his faith must be as un- 
shaken as the rock upon which it is built. 

There is, for instance, the doctrine of the 
Trinity. Scientists will tell us that it is ab- 
solutely impossible that three distinct Persons 
can be so intimately united as to form one God. 
And our own poor intellect is far from able to 



Faith 



15 



comprehend this mystery. Then again, we 
have the dogma of the Real Presence of Our 
Lord in the Holy Eucharist. How can it be 
possible? According to all the laws of science 
the transition from one substance into another, 
with the new substance still retaining the ap- 
pearances and qualities of the first, is an 
anomaly. Chemists have demonstrated that 
there is absolutely no analogy between the con- 
stituting elements of wine and those of blood, 
and consequently the transmutation or tran- 
substantiation is out of the question. 

But faith is not a science, nor a system of 
reasoning. It is the belief in the truthfulness 
of another. We do not accept the doctrine of 
the Trinity or of the Holy Eucharist because 
of any evidence that has been offered us; but 
solely upon the words of God who cannot de- 
ceive. 

Is this faith reasonable? Most certainly it 
is. The child accepts the statement that a cer- 
tain man is its father and a certain woman its 
mother. Is there any evidence? Absolutely 



16 



Faith 



none. The child is certain, and yet it has no 
evidence. And thus in our every-day life faith 
comes into play and governs a majority of our 
actions and omissions. No one would intimate 
that it is unreasonable for the child to believe 
its parents. Only a simpleton would hesitate 
to drink the coffee that has been prepared for 
him by his wife or mother, fearing that it might 
contain poison. He has no evidence to the con- 
trary; but he believes. 

Now human beings may err, and may de- 
ceive others. Children have been, at times, de- 
ceived as to their parentage. And men have 
been poisoned by drinking coffee. But God, 
who has revealed to us the truths of our relig- 
ion, cannot deceive and cannot err. His word 
is infallibly true. And when He states that 
there are three Persons in God, all equally 
God, and yet only one Deity, the same is ab- 
solutely true. Whether or not modern scien- 
tists find this belief incompatible with their de- 
ductions, makes but little difference. Whether 
or not our intellect can understand and grasp 



Faith 



17 



this dogma will not change its reality, God 
has spoken; we can only say: Credo, I be- 
lieve ; strengthen Thou my unbelief. 

We sometimes hear skeptics say: "What I 
do not see I will not believe." But faith is 
more than acquiescence upon conviction by evi- 
dence presented. It is the firm belief in cer- 
tain truths because God, the Truth, has re- 
vealed them. And therein lies its merit. Any 
man can accept as true that of which he has 
evidence. But it requires faith to accept that 
which apparently contradicts our understand- 
ing. 

The practical Catholic will find a host of 
modern beliefs and unbeliefs which appeal 
more to his understanding. The doctrine of 
evolution, which teaches the ape-descent of 
man, may appear reasonable upon considera- 
tion of the arguments advanced. Spiritism, 
with its apparent revelations from the unseen 
world, may play upon his credulity and super- 
stition. New Thought may appear most fas- 
cinating. But, after all, there is no belief or 



18 



Faith 



doctrine which presents to him the absolute 
certainty of the revelation of God as preserved 
by His Church. Spiritists and evolutionists 
have been convicted of gross deception. And 
the rest of present-day beliefs are nothing more 
than religion reduced to sentimentality. But 
in our Faith we have the unchanged and un- 
changeable, a doctrine based, not upon human 
reasoning or human caprice, but upon the 
sound bed-rock of divine revelation. 

A wondrous gift of God is our Faith. It 
may be lost through our neglect. It has been 
lost by many. "Cling fast to that which thou 
hast, and let no man take thy crown.'' 



CHAPTER II 



THE BIBLE 

t 

The most abused book of all times is the 
one which should command our deepest 
reverence, "the Word of God," the Holy Bible. 
In the name of this book crimes of every de- 
scription are justified; doctrines which diamet- 
rically oppose each other are established; and 
the true Church is condemned while her ad- 
versary is enthroned as the only reliable guide 
to the wandering pilgrim. 

To account for this misuse of the Holy Scrip- 
tures it will be necessary to understand the 
difference of opinion in both camps of Chris- 
tianity regarding the Eook of books. 

Now the Catholic Church holds that the 
Bible is the Word of God, and that it is in- 
spired and contains no errors in matters of 

19 



20 



The Bible 



faith and morals. However she does not 
grant that it holds the entire Deposit of Faith ; 
but contends that many of the divine revela- 
tions have come down to us by Tradition. 

Let us briefly consider her reasons for this 
stand. In the first place, it is well to remem- 
ber that the printing press is a comparatively 
recent invention (1440), and that, in the early 
centuries of the Christian era, all written mat- 
ters were laboriously produced by hand. Can 
we imagine the enormity of the task of writing 
the Bible by hand? Some of the books of the 
New Testament were written a number of 
years after the birth of the Christian Church. 
But even if we disregard the length of time 
required to complete one copy of the Holy 
Scriptures, it would take hundreds of years to 
furnish enough books for the early Christian 
world. But what about the next fourteen 
hundred years before the invention of print- 
ing, when the Gospel was being carried to the 
furthermost bounds of the earth, and thousands 
upon thousands were turning to the True 



The Bible 



21 



Church? A Bible here and there, perhaps one 
for every ten thousand Christians, could not, by 
any stretch of the imagination, supply the rule 
of faith. Oral tradition was, therefore, ab- 
solutely necessary to spread and preserve the 
Faith. Christ commanded His apostles, "Go 
teach all nations." To carry the Bible into 
every Christian home would have been a physi- 
cal impossibility. 

If the Bible was not the sole rule of faith in 
the early centuries, how can any one to-day 
declare that we must be guided in our beliefs 
solely by its contents? 

Furthermore, it is only by Tradition that we 
know the authentic books of the Holy Bible. 
Amid innumerable apocryphal works the true 
and inspired books were declared in the fourth 
century. By following up the course of Tradi- 
tion from our day to the times of the apostles 
we find every doctrine and every truth, not 
contained in the Holy Scriptures, to be handed 
down to us from the times of the first Christian 
teachers. 



22 



The Bible 



The very nature of the Scriptural writings 
demands interpretation, and therefore tradi- 
tional interpretation. There are many ap- 
parent contradictions. And experience in the 
last four hundred years has taught us that not 
all understand the revelations of God alike as 
taken from the Scriptures. For that reason, 
too, the Catholic Church allows the reading of 
the Bible only when the version of the same is 
approved by her as authentic and when ex- 
planatory notes are given for the difficult pas- 
sages. 

Now let us view the Bible in the light 
of Protestantism. For all Christians who 
broadly belong to the class called Protestants, 
the Bible is the sole rule of faith. We have 
proved that what could not be demanded in the 
early centuries cannot be demanded to-day. 
In other words, for fourteen hundred years the 
Bible was almost inaccessible to the vast ma- 
jority of Christians. Therefore it cannot be 
considered as the sole norma of our belief. 
But if it were true that the Scriptures alone 



The Bible 



23 



gave us the fullness of divine revelation, it 
would surely be required that the Church of 
God interpret the Sacred Writings infallibly 
so that the world could not be mistaken in its 
understanding of the Word of God. And 
thus we come to the weakest point in Protes- 
tantism, and the worthlessness of the Bible as 
their guide. For Protestants allow private 
interpretation of the Scriptures. They have 
no infallible teaching authority that clears 
away the doubts and sheds light upon the dark- 
ness. Every one is his own judge and inter- 
preter. And the consequence? The exist- 
ence of between two and three hundred 
different sects of Protestantism is the sad re- 
sult. And there is no reason why another 
century will not find four hundred new sects 
and denominations. 

Added to this, the carelessness with which 
translations of the Scriptures are rendered, 
and the disregard for words and their original 
meanings have made the modern version of the 
Bible anything but a reliable guide to the 



24 



The Bible 



seeker of truth. Martin Luther felt no hesi- 
tancy in dropping important words and whole 
books from the Sacred Writings, and inter- 
polating words to suit his personal doctrines. 
His disciples have faithfully supported him in 
his deceit. 

Such is the effect of private judgment. 
Even the learned Doctors of the Church who 
consecrated their lives to the study of the writ- 
ten Word of God, confess that it is replete with 
difficulties. The mere translation from the 
original languages to modern tongues brings 
with it a host of grammatical and idiomatical 
obstacles that cannot but make the interpreta- 
tion of the revelations contained, liable to the 
grossest errors. We see here clearly the need 
of an infallible teaching authority. In whom 
else would this authority be vested if not in the 
True Church of God? 

"We must, therefore, conclude," says Car- 
dinal Gibbons in the "Faith Of Our Fathers" 
(Page 86), "that the Scriptures alone cannot 
be a sufficient guide and rule of faith because 



The Bible 



25 



they cannot, at any time, be within the reach of 
every inquirer; because they are not of them- 
selves clear and intelligible even in matters of 
the highest importance, and because they do 
not contain all the truths necessary to salva- 
tion." 

The fundamental difference of opinion be- 
tween Catholics and Protestants on the most 
important book that was ever written, has 
given rise to much speculation on the possibil- 
ity of a reunion of all Christian confessions in 
the One True Fold. Such unity will be im- 
possible as long as private interpretation of 
the Bible remains a Protestant dogma. One 
most important step must be taken to give us 
"one fold and one shepherd," and that step 
must be the recognition of a supreme authority 
that is empowered by God to explain His writ- 
ten Word. The acceptance of Tradition as a 
vehicle bearing many truths of divine revela- 
tion would be but a natural sequel to this first, 
and most important, move for church unity. 

As for unity among the Protestant bodies, 



26 



The Bible 



as long as private interpretation is in force, it 
is an unknown quantity. Men who are to be 
considered as reliable guides directing pilgrims 
on the way to heaven, are constantly quarreling 
amongst themselves as to which is the right 
path and as to what are the essential requisites 
for admission to eternal glory. A chaos of 
religious beliefs and doctrines confronts the 
sincere seeker of truth, and from these he has 
the liberty to choose what appeals to him most. 
Must he not be filled with disgust at the sight 
of the numerous contradictions that are pre- 
sented to him as divine revelation? Can we 
still wonder at the sad fact that three-fifths of 
the population of America are non-church-go- 
ing? 

Far be it from me to give the impression that 
the Catholic Church is not the champion of the 
Bible. Was she not the sole custodian of the 
Sacred Word for fifteen centuries? And does 
she not, in our own day, seek out men of bril- 
liant intellect and long years of study to watch 
over the Holy Writings in order that not even 



The Bible 



27 



the least semblance of error creeps into them? 
The Biblical Institute in Rome, under the 
direction of the best talent the Church can com- 
mand, has its being and existence for the one 
and only purpose, viz.: to maintain the integ- 
rity of the Holy Scriptures and to teach their 
true interpretation. 

But while the Church considers Holy Writ 
a most sacred treasure to be guarded jealously 
against all innovations and interpolations, she 
would break the chain that binds her in apos- 
tolic unity if she would declare the Bible the sole 
rule of faith ; she would contradict the mandate 
of Christ to preach and teach; she would cease 
to be the unerring guide, for she would be com- 
pelled to abandon sacraments and beliefs that 
were entrusted to her during the great Forty 
Days after the Resurrection. In a word, the 
Church would no longer be* "the ground and 
pillar of truth," but would have become a hu- 
man institution distinctly separated from the 
glorious organization that was founded by the 
Master to bring redemption to mankind. 



CHAPTER III 



A BUREAU OF STANDARDS 

hat a Babel of confusion would reign 



Y Y in our cities if there were no fixed 
standards of measurement! When we speak 
of inches, yards, pecks or bushels a definite 
measurement or quantity is recognized. But 
imagine, if you can, the utter bewilderment 
that must needs prevail if every architect and 
contractor formulated a system of measure- 
ment all his own, and if the merchants com- 
pelled us to become familiar with an hundred 
and one methods of parceling their merchan- 
dise. To avoid this confusion the nation 
maintains a bureau of standards, and through- 
out the country the system of ascertaining size, 
capacity, or dimensions is the same. No 
method of weighing, measuring quantities and 
distances, is correct unless it conforms to the 




28 



A Bureau of Standards 29 

standard fixed by the nation. It will be ap- 
parent that a bureau of standards is indispens- 
able in a well-regulated government. 

But if certain standards of determining 
quantities and distances are necessary to in- 
sure commercial honesty, what must be the 
confusion in a nation's religious life if there 
are no fixed principles of morality and tenets 
of belief? The mooted questions that perplex 
the minds of thinking men give rise to a host 
of divergent opinions. And in spite of much 
study, the examination of statistics and end- 
less debates, we find that men cannot and will 
not agree on these subjects. 

There is that great scandal of American pub- 
lic life, the easy divorce. The facility with 
which the sacred bonds of matrimony may be 
severed in America is a revelation even to 
Pagans. But if the stranger who comes to our 
shores should ask: "What is the nation's 
stand on divorce? What do the people at 
large think of the question?" — which of us 
could give an intelligent answer? In a recent 



30 A Bureau of Standards 

contest conducted by one of our daily news- 
papers, the readers were invited to give their 
views on the divorce question in an essay of not 
more than two hundred words. Every think- 
able reason was brought forward as the writers' 
conception of the cause of divorce; and every- 
thing from trial marriages to absolute indis- 
solubility was advocated as a remedy. Evi- 
dently there is no consensus of opinion upon 
this question. But is it not of the utmost im- 
portance that there be a standard of morality 
according to which the citizens must regulate 
their lives? 

But you will say, a uniform standard of 
morality imposed upon the people by the gov- 
ernment, is out of the question in a country 
which grants equal rights to all forms of re- 
ligion. Precisely. And therefore there is all 
the more reason that the Church should main- 
tain a bureau of standards, so that her people 
may at all times and in all places be guided 
aright in the search for truth and the endeavor 
to live righteously. But this would postulate 



A Bureau of Standards 31 

infallibility on the part of the Church. Ex- 
actly. We claim no less for the True Church 
of God, that is, in matters that pertain to faith 
and morals. 

Let us understand the reasonableness of the 
contention that the Church is infallible, and 
consequently our safest guide on the road to 
heaven. What do we understand by "infal- 
lible"? Mark well, the Church lays no claim 
to infallibility in dealing with questions that 
are purely economical or of social or political 
importance alone. The Holy Father or the 
assembled bishops might, for instance, after 
much study and mature deliberation pass judg- 
ment upon the practicability of the League of 
Nations. Yet no Catholic would maintain 
that such a decision would be infallible. Aside 
from the fact that we could expect accuracy 
and conscientiousness from the Holy Father 
or the assembled bishops, the question belongs 
to the realm of politics. 

But in interpreting the law of God and di- 
vine revelation, the Church is infallible. You 



32 A Bureau of Standards 

do not find a difference of opinion among Cath- 
olics on the subject of divorce, or on the legality 
of race-suicide, or on the divinity of the 
Saviour. Should a doubt arise at any time on 
matters of faith or morals the Catholic at once 
refers to his Bureau of Standards — the Church. 
But is this not a slavish submission of one's 
intellect and free-will? Not at all. Rather 
it is a safeguard against the errors to which the 
intellect is prone, and against the folly begot 
by the abuse of free-will. We hear so much 
of the freedom of science and freedom of 
thought. What nonsense to call that freedom 
which plunges one into error and deception! 
As well might the merchant protest that his 
liberty is being restricted because the state de- 
termines the size of his peck-measure. 

But has the Church the right to claim infal- 
libility? Is her Bureau of Standards ap- 
proved by God? Let us use our God-given 
common sense and solve the question without 
reference to Revelation. 

What is the purpose of the Church of God? 



A Bureau of Standards 33 

What mission has she upon earth? Manifestly 
the Church is a divine institution whose pri- 
mary purpose is to bring the fruits of Redemp- 
tion to mankind. The Church is here not to 
amuse us of a Sunday, not to care for our bodily 
welfare alone; but her mission is to lead us to 
God. Well, then, can it be possible that the 
All-holy God would entrust so great a work 
to a guide who might lead us astray, who 
might seek out the easy paths, or who might 
not even know the way to heaven? The 
Church was placed upon earth to be our guide, 
to teach us the Way, the Truth and the Life. 
Our reason demands that she be a reliable, safe 
and infallible guide. 

Some one will say, we have the word of God 
recorded in the Bible. That is our infallible 
guide. The four hundred years of Protestant- 
ism have shown us just how reliable the Bible 
is as a guide when placed in the hands of the 
people for their own private interpretation. 
The hundreds of sects into which Protestant- 
ism has been divided give proof sufficient that 



34 A Bureau of Standards 

the Bible, too, must have an infallible inter- 
preter. 

Needless to say, the fact that only the Roman 
Catholic Church lays claim to and exercises 
the infallible teaching authority, which of ne- 
cessity must be vested in the True Church of 
God, is a beacon to the seekers of truth. 

As we look over the memoirs of the great 
men and women who have abandoned false be- 
liefs to embrace the Catholic religion, we are 
brought face to face with the marvelous truth 
that what was the greatest bugaboo in the days 
of their indecision, became the sweetest con- 
solation after their conversion, namely, the in- 
fallibility of the Church. Where formerly 
they had debated on questions of faith and 
morals only to arrive at unsatisfactory con- 
clusions, they now could refer to the "Bureau 
of Standards," knowing that no matter what 
the teaching of the Church, it was vouched for 
by God. Roma locuta, causa finita. 

Such must be the teaching authority of a 
church that has been guaranteed divine assist- 



'A 'Bureau of Standards 35 

ance and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. A 
religion that can not give us an infallible in- 
terpretation of the teaching of God, can not be 
looked upon as a leader. It misleads. 



CHAPTER IV 



HATED BY ALL 



wall of adamant separates the Cath- 



i \ olic from his fellow-men. It is the wall 
of hatred. This bitter animosity is apparent 
everywhere. In commerce, in politics, in so- 
ciety — always the same question is asked, Is 
he a Catholic? Race and color have long since 
ceased to be obstacles in the path of success 
where the Catholic Faith is still the mark that 
brands the man as undesirable. 

Secret societies abound throughout the world 
with the one avowed purpose of breaking the 
hold of the Church of Rome on the millions of 
her adherents. No other organization, relig- 
ious or otherwise, has to battle so valiantly for 
existence as does the Spouse of Christ. 

Men and women, of more than ordinary abil- 




36 



Hated by All 37 

ity, are laying down their lives, bending every 
effort, straining every nerve — and for what? 
To vent their spleen upon the Unsullied by 
spreading foul calumnies and dastardly lies 
about her. But what can be their motive in 
seeking the ruination and destruction of the 
Church ? What else can be the motive than the 
thirst for revenge on the part of Lucifer, who 
skillfully employs men and women as his in- 
fernal tools? 

The Church tells mankind the truth. But 
the truth sometimes contradicts man's own de- 
sires and always opposes the plans of hell. 

When Christ, who could challenge the world, 
"Which of you can convince me of sin?" told 
the Jews the truth, they rose against Him and 
threatened to stone Him to death. And when, 
subsequently, He stood before the palace of 
Pilate, His innocence and sinlessness confessed 
and acknowledged before the world, the howl- 
ing mob demanded His blood. Why? Be- 
cause He was innocent? No; because He 
stood there as the representative of truth. His 



38 Hated by All 

apostles went forth into the world and preached 
the truth. They feared neither emperor nor 
executioner. Their fate was martyrdom. 
And thus it has been throughout the ages unto 
our present day. 

Henry VIII was told the truth concerning 
the indissolubility of the marriage bond; the 
truth cost the Church a kingdom. And what 
is the stand of the Church to-day? She alone 
champions the side of truth in the matter of 
obeying the commandments of God. She con- 
demns divorce as immoral and adulterous and 
by one hundred thousand divorcees' throats her 
life and her blood is demanded. 

She insists on the right of parents to ed- 
ucate, not only the mind, but also the heart, of 
their children by instilling, in early youth, the 
fear of God and the love of virtue. What is 
the comment of the world? The Catholic 
Church is unpatriotic and is undermining the 
government of nations for her own selfish ends. 

In a thousand convents and monasteries the 
divine counsels of the Master are observed. In 



Hated by All 39 

a thousand convents and monasteries the sins 
of the world are atoned for by pure, virtuous 
lives of self-sacrifice. And the judgment of 
the enemy evidences itself in an outpour of 
vituperation and calumny. 

Fearlessly and without thought of the con- 
sequences, the Church condemns and decries 
the lasciviousness of modern amusements, the 
seduction of the dance halls and theaters, the 
dishonesty in business, the unscrupulous meth- 
ods employed in government, the criminal tol- 
eration of the dens of vice where disease is bred 
and young blood infected — and to all this she 
hears the unanimous response of the world- 
lings : The Catholic Church is but a remnant 
of the Dark Ages; she is behind the times. 

Laws are made to stifle her existence ; secret 
conclaves plot her destruction; open warfare 
is waged from every angle. And this world- 
wide, perpetual persecution — what has it ac- 
complished? If anything, just as the mighty 
oak grows stronger and more deeply rooted 
when buffeted by the tempests, so the Church 



40 Hated by r All 

has grown in power, grown tremendously in 
numbers, grown amazingly in authority. And 
to-day, in spite of the forces that plot her ruina- 
tion, she stands out as the only institution 
whose future is guaranteed. She has seen 
empires crumble in the dust and republics torn 
asunder and has watched while new govern- 
ments arose from the ashes of the old. No 
kingdom, no empire, no republic, has half her 
strength or one tenth of her promise for future 
greatness and stability. 

But this uninterrupted thriving amid so 
many adverse conditions must carry its unmis- 
takable lesson to the many seekers of truth. 
No human organization could withstand the 
onslaughts of hatred and persecution that she 
has endured. Because she is not human but 
divine, and sustained by the power of Omnip- 
otence, she continues to be the infallible inter- 
preter of God's truth. 

This fact will compensate in no small meas- 
ure for the hardships and annoyance that the 
Catholic must suffer because of his Faith. 



Hated by All 41 

Two mighty armies are arrayed in battle, 
on the one side Christ and His followers, on the 
other Satan and his subjects. It is the battle 
between Heaven and hell, between Light and 
darkness, between Truth and falsehood. 
Christ will win ; His victory is inevitable. The 
victorious warriors will be crowned in the 
realms of heaven; the vanquished will pine in 
hell. 

As Catholics, we are the chosen warriors un- 
der the banner of Christ. Allegiance and 
fidelity to that banner mean victory; infidelity 
and desertion spell defeat. Which will it be? 



CHAPTER V 



A SIGN OF CONTRADICTION 

When Simeon, the seer, some nineteen 
hundred years ago took a little infant 
in his arms and made the remarkable statement, 
"Behold this child is set for the fall and resur- 
rection of many in Israel, and for a sign which 
shall be contradicted," a bystander might have 
ridiculed the thought that the child of appar- 
ently unknown parents could ever rise to such 
heights as to be the occasion of the success and 
failure, the rise and fall of individuals as well 
as of nations. And yet this Child, the Son of 
God, has been a sign of contradiction, and has 
exerted a tremendous influence upon the na- 
tions of the world and their destinies. 

The glad tidings of His birth made known 
to the shepherds on the hillsides of Bethlehem 

42 



A Sign of Contradiction 43 

had hardly penetrated into the homes and 
hearts of the Jewish people when it came to 
pass that He was to be contradicted. We find 
that He became an object of hatred in the eyes 
of Herod, and innocent blood was shed in a 
brutal endeavor to terminate His earthly 
career. 

As He appeared in public to make known to 
mankind the nature of His mission, He met 
with the bitter opposition of the priests and 
Pharisees of His time. It was not long before 
these same enemies rejoiced to see Him nailed 
to a cross, bleeding from an hundred wounds. 

With the glorious resurrection of the Sav- 
iour, the truthfulness of His assertion that He 
was the Son of God was firmly established. 
Surely the peoples of the world will flock to 
the Holy City to be received into that com- 
munity established by Him to bring redemp- 
tion to mankind. But, alas, what do we see 
in reality? His messengers carry their tidings 
of peace and joy before the people — and for 
their pains they are cast into vile dungeons; 



44 A Sign of Contradiction 

they are scourged and beaten; they are sub- 
jected to most horrible tortures, only to end in 
martyrdom. 

In the hearts of the Roman emperors a di- 
abolical ingenuity unfolds itself, to produce 
new and unheard-of instruments and methods 
of torture, to contradict Him who proclaimed 
Himself the Saviour of mankind. Blood, in- 
nocent blood, saturates the soil of Rome and 
Palestine. 

And as one by one the pages of history are 
turned, we find that the Blessed Redeemer of 
the world has never ceased to be a sign that is 
contradicted. Nation has hurled itself against 
nation in a vain endeavor to forever put an end 
to His great influence over the destinies of 
peoples. 

In our own day, in this enlightened age of 
ours, is Christ not a sign that is contradicted 
by the vast majority of human beings? We 
need not go to the far-off pagan lands whose 
people have been reared in ignorance and su- 
perstition. Right at home, in our own coun- 



A Sign of Contradiction 45 

try, His divinity has been denied; His mission 
ridiculed; His influence despised; His follow- 
ers bitterly persecuted. The secret societies 
seek to displace His religion by substituting a 
form of natural religion, and by calling upon 
every power at their command, social, economi- 
cal, and political, to dethrone Him and once 
again place Reason upon our altars. Even 
those who call themselves Christians, are allied 
with the forces of evil to break the power of 
the Church of God over its millions of adher- 
ents. 

If we seek for anything different among the 
other progressive nations we are doomed to 
disappointment. England, France, Germany 
and Italy, as nations, openly or covertly have 
declared their contradiction to the principles 
of Christ and His Church. 

But mark well, Christ was to be not only "a 
sign which shall be contradicted" but also "for 
the rise and fall of many." The man or woman 
who accepts Christ's religion and lives according 
to His mandates is blessed with peace and hap- 



46 A Sign of Contradiction 

piness and the hope of unending bliss to come. 
But just as soon as they forsake God, their 
hearts no longer experience that sweet peace 
that comes to the elect, but instead the vices, 
hate, jealousy, and anger are enkindled in their 
hearts. They become bitter and resentful. 
Their fall is hastened through the years, until 
it ends in the abyss of hell. 

And the nations — how wonderfully they rise 
to splendid heights of glory when they know 
how to pray to God for His blessing upon their 
people and their lands. But how they plunge 
and are cast down to wretched unhappiness 
when they forsake their God. 

England, glorious old England, was led to 
apostasy by a royal lecher. And to-day even 
her most loyal subjects fear the impending dis- 
memberment of the empire. Italy has dared 
to commit sacrilege upon the person of the 
Vicar of Christ, and her most sanguine sup- 
porters see the crumbling of her throne. Ger- 
many who opened wide the doors of her uni- 



A Sign of Contradiction 47 

versities to the enemies of Christianity, and 
fostered and favored the insane deductions of 
conceited philosophers, to-day lies humbled in 
the dust. France, at one time the flower of 
Christendom, has idly looked on as the enemies 
of Christianity gathered their forces to extin- 
guish the lights of heaven and drive Christ over 
her borders. And as we write we can not but 
feel sorry for France in her peculiar predica- 
ment. Abandoned by her allies, she faces a 
giant, who indeed has been stunned by a heavy 
blow dealt with the combined force of the na- 
tions, but who is far from dead. 

We had dreamed sweet dreams of a reign of 
peace when war would be impossible. But can 
we look for peace when whole nations have de- 
liberately and maliciously contradicted and de- 
nied the Prince of Peace? Can we expect ar> 
abandonment of the jealousies and national an- 
imosities that lie at the root of all wars when 
we, regardless of the consequences, have driven 
Him out of our councils and out of our deliber- 



48 A Sign of Contradiction 

ations who alone can apply the healing balm of 
charity and forgiveness upon the aching, bleed- 
ing wounds of society? 

Philosophers, statesmen, and military ex- 
perts may give us their views on the causes of 
war and the dissatisfaction of peoples, but in 
the end we shall be forced to admit that the 
Hand of God lies heavily upon the nations; 
that there can be no lasting peace and prosper- 
ity until human beings cease to contradict the 
Ruler of Nations. 



CHAPTER VI 



SUCCESS OR FAILURE 

Success is the magic word that, from time 
immemorial, has lured the youth of every 
land from home and fireside, and has led the 
sons and daughters of every nation to unknown 
cities and to unexplored regions. In the quest 
of success no thought is given to the hardships 
involved. The vision of the future, when the 
ambitious will look down from the pinnacle of 
fame upon the past with its difficulties and sac- 
rifices, seems to lend energy and determination 
to their efforts. 

Not a few attain success, but at the cost of 
much privation. Frequently the ties of love 
that hold men fast to their native hearths have 
to be broken. Loved ones are left behind ; new 
acquaintances and friends must be won. 

49 



50 



Success or Failure 



Added to these are the hardships of a beginner 
in a strange land. Such is the price of suc- 
cess. 

If success, from a worldly point of view, is 
to be bought only by sacrifice and labor, then 
surely, in the most important task of our lives, 
it will not be less dearly purchased. Our task, 
and indeed the most important task of our ex- 
istence, is to realize the object for which we 
have been created. The attainment of that 
object, namely, the winning of eternal happi- 
ness in heaven, is success. To lose our right to 
heaven is failure. Even the poorest philoso- 
pher will admit that a thing is successful only 
in so far as it performs the task for which it has 
been made. Men do not purchase automobiles 
for mere beauty of appearance. They require 
performance. The most expensive motor car 
is a failure if it does not attain the speed and 
carrying power of the cheapest vehicle of this 
kind. Beautiful upholstery, shining brass and 
nickel will not lessen the degree of failure if 
the engine is worthless. 



Success or Failure 



51 



Well then, how can man be counted a suc- 
cess in life if he fails to accomplish that for 
which he has been created? He may prove to 
be a great financier ; he may stand high in polit- 
ical circles; he may be able to manage a great 
chain of stores. But that is not what he was 
made for. His first and most important busi- 
ness is to save his immortal soul. If he does 
not accomplish this task he is a failure. His 
other attainments may be laudable but they are 
accidentals, just as the upholstery and expen- 
sive ornamentation of the limousine. 

But success in our life's most important task 
is not to be attained without privation and 
hardships. There is, first of all, the great diffi- 
culty of working in a strange land. For, after 
all, the Catholic is a stranger in the world. 
The unbelief and materialism, so prevalent in 
our times, have nothing in common with his 
belief . He must deal with men and women to 
whom honesty and justice are mere ethical vir- 
tues, to be discarded when they interfere with 
business. He is compelled to witness fellow- 



52 



Success or Failure 



men, of no greater ability than his own, forge 
ahead and become his leaders, while he is held 
back by the dictates of his conscience and by 
his religion, which tolerates no fraudulent 
means for gaining wealth and fame. 

Then again, the world, this bountiful pro- 
vider of luxuries, throws widely open the doors 
of her palaces of pleasure and license. With 
the honeyed words and the sweet voice of the 
siren she bids men and women to fling aside the 
cares and worries that burden them, and quench 
the thirst of passion from the flowing bowl of 
gratification. The Catholic, too, hears the 
siren's call; he, too, feels himself drawn to sin 
and to sensuality. But if he would succeed in 
life, he must bring the sacrifice and must con- 
tradict his own evil inclinations. His slogan 
must be "Excelsior". 

But is success worth the price? Is it worth 
while to constantly deny ourselves in the hope 
of a greater happiness to come? It most cer- 
tainly is the greatest wisdom to decline the 



Success or Failure 



53 



world's happiness in order to gain the beatitude 
of heaven. For does the world really give 
happiness? Do her pleasures take away the 
burden of life's daily battle ? Not at all. Her 
pleasures are but transitory; they pass over us 
-like a pleasant dream from which we are awak- 
ened to the stern reality of labor, hunger, pain, 
sickness and death. 

But the happiness of heaven is, first of all, 
unending. It leaves no memory of a past of 
pain and suffering; it threatens no future of a 
return to former trials. It completely satis- 
fies the yearning of the human heart. Best of 
all, it is ours if we want it. 

True, the human heart grows weary of sac- 
rifices and privations for the sake of a heaven 
which we have never seen. It costs a mighty 
battle to forego the pleasures that sin offers us 
in order to attain a happiness which virtue 
promises. But there is, absolutely, no element 
of doubt connected with virtue's promise. The 
Living God, whose word cannot deceive, has 



54 



Success or Failure 



declared that there are many mansions in the 
heavenly realms prepared for those who do His 
bidding. 

Nor shall we be compelled to wait long for 
the day of success. A few years, and the little 
cross or marker in the cemetery will announce 
to posterity that we once lived upon earth and 
that our bodies have returned to dust. What 
then will be our opinion of success or failure? 
Will it be too late? Shall we be classed among 
the failures who could not accomplish that for 
which they were made? 

The words of Our Saviour, "What doth it 
profit a man if he gain the whole world and 
suffer the loss of his soul?" give us the infalli- 
ble criterion of success and failure. Palaces 
and gardens, wealth and honor do not measure 
success ; they may be the signals of failure. In 
like manner poverty, want, and even destitu- 
tion are not indications of failure. The poor- 
est of the poor may be eminently successful in 
the greatest task of his life. Indeed, some of 
the most successful men and women, the Saints, 



Success or Failure 55 



have voluntarily taken poverty upon them- 
selves in order not to be hampered by worldly 
things. 

Both riches and poverty may be a means to- 
ward our end. By using the one judiciously 
and for the honor of God, and by bearing the 
other .in the spirit of resignation to God's holy 
will, great strides toward the coveted goal are 
made. 

Since, then, true success is attained only by 
saving our immortal souls, we must make every 
other endeavor and enterprise subservient to 
this end. Nothing may interfere ; nothing else 
should hinder us. In our business, on our 
walks, in our recreation, even when seeking 
amusement, we must ever be reminded that "we 
have no lasting dwelling here," that we are 
created for higher things, that we shall be suc- 
cessful only if we insure our eternal happiness 
in heaven. 



CHAPTER VII 



THE SELF-STARTER 

Some years ago the congregation of which 
the author is pastor, was given a spiritual 
treat in the guise of a sermon delivered by an 
old college chum. His text was, "Be a Self- 
Starter I crave his indulgence if I borrow 
his idea for the following lines. 

Many Catholics, who by their own fault or 
by misfortune are not able to make any head- 
way in their business pursuits, who are always 
comparing the month's income with the bills 
for the same thirty days, seem to harbor the 
thought that when once their income exceeds 
their expenditures, they will "do something for 
the Church". But have you observed that this 
happy moment never seems to arrive? What 
is the reason? Is it possible that God's bless- 
ing does not rest upon their work? 

5a 



I 



The Self-Starter 57 

It has come to be a recognized fact that 
where sacrifices are brought, where people are 
willing to deprive themselves of small luxuries 
in order to pay their just debts to God, the lit- 
tle sacrifice is rewarded a hundred fold. 

Here is a fact that came under the author's 
observation a few years ago. A lad of four- 
teen years desired to be a priest, and made 
known his desire to his father. The latter, al- 
though a business man, was struggling under 
a heavy debt. However, he trusted in God 
and gave his consent to finance the education 
of his son. In round numbers it cost the fa- 
ther just $5,000 until the happy day dawned 
when his child, as God's anointed, ascended the 
altar for the first time. But what about the 
financial condition of the father? Was he 
overwhelmed with debt? By no means; the 
debt was paid, and on the day of the son's first 
Mass, the father knew that he was worth no 
less than $20,000. 

This gives us the key to the present chapter : 
"Be a self-starter." No matter how poor you 



58 The SelfStarter 

are, no matter what your financial condition 
may be, do something, as much as possible, for 
God's Church. Those who wait until they be- 
come rich, have a long time to wait, for they 
never attain their goal. 

I was moved to pity a short time ago when 
the only son of a widow left her alone on the 
farm, while he sought his fortune in the city. 
Now a woman on a farm alone has small pros- 
pects of great success. However, my pity 
changed to astonishment when the widow came 
to me to give donations in lieu of the work her 
son might have otherwise rendered. I remon- 
strated with her, and refused to accept her do- 
nations. She had her way. But note the re- 
markable sequel. When the year was past, 
she had done better than in any previous year. 
God never allows Himself to be outdone in gen- 
erosity. 

In his sermon, our friend suggested that a 
man embarking upon a business venture with- 
out funds, should borrow money and donate it 
to the Church. This seems to be the extremity 



The Self-Starter 59 

of generosity. And yet, do you honestly be- 
lieve that such a man would fail? Or rather 
do you not imagine that his every effort would 
be crowned with success, that his labors would 
bear abundant fruit, that, in short, God would 
be with him? 

And after all, that is the lesson that the 
saints teach us. Take, for instance, the ex- 
ample of St. Francis of Assisi. Born of 
wealthy parents, and heir to a fortune, he turns 
over his riches to the poor, and dons the somber 
habit of penance and poverty. True, his 
wealth in gold and silver did not increase — for 
he despised such riches. But what can the 
world offer in gold and silver that could com- 
pare with the crown of glory won by St. Fran- 
cis? 

It is remarkable how much a man will de- 
prive himself of, for the sake of some trifling 
gratification. There is the daily cigar. Many 
men are known to smoke as high as ten cigars 
a day, all of which are priced from five to fif- 
teen cents apiece. It is their luxury. No 



00 The Self-StaHer 

matter how business is going, no matter how 
much debt rests on the homestead, the cigars 
must be had. A little mathematical calcula- 
tion will reveal the fact that dollars are ex- 
pended weekly for this luxury. Of course, 
there is no objection. But the same individual 
who gives out dollars weekly for such unneces- 
sary items, is sure to search his purse for the 
smallest coin when he goes to Mass on Sun- 
days. Is God to be compared to a beggar, that 
we give the least we can offer with dignity to 
the maintenance and support of His Church? 

There is another noteworthy feature of the 
self-starter. You need but turn on the igni- 
tion, press a button and the motor is set in mo- 
tion. How much easier than the slow, tiresome 
task of cranking the engine ! But alas, a great 
many Catholics are not equipped with self- 
starters. It is necessary to crank and crank 
and repeat the operation time and again before 
the motor begins to work. 

An instance is the call for help from the 
Catholic missions. Protestants are respond- 



The Self-Starter 61 

ing nobly to the appeals for millions to be de- 
voted to home and foreign missions. In fact 
so great is the ardor of Protestants for the mis- 
sions, and so enormous are their contributions, 
that in many pagan countries the Protestant re- 
ligion is acknowledged to be the religion of 
America. Is there any plausible reason why 
we Catholics lag far behind our non- Catholic 
brethren in support of the missions? Is it pos- 
sible that they have greater faith? Is it pos- 
sible that they are willing to bring greater sac- 
rifices for the spread of Protestantism, than we 
are willing to bring to make the True Church 
known everywhere? 

The same zeal is noted in the support of the 
Y. M. C. A. Millions are contributed annu- 
ally for the support and maintenance of this 
organization. The time is not far off when 
Catholics will be compelled to maintain similar 
clubs for our young men and young women in 
order to save them for the Church. But then 
the slow, tiresome operation of cranking the 
motor will be out of date ; it will be necessary to 



62 The Self-Starter 

have self-starters among our Catholics, and in 
great numbers. 

At various times the attempt has been made 
to establish Catholic clubs in our cities. Some 
ventures have succeeded; others have failed. 
The failures were due solely to lack of support. 
Why? Because there were no self-starters in 
the respective communities. 

But in the future such efforts must not fail. 
Catholic clubs for men and women must be or- 
ganized and must offer our Catholic youth the 
same advantages as the Y. M. C. A. Other- 
wise we may look for wholesale loss of faith and 
apostasy. 

The old truth always recurs, the world, and 
what the world offers young men and women, 
is calculated to rob them of faith and plunge 
them into the maelstrom of unbelief and mate- 
rialism. Not one endeavor outside the Church 
is intended to foster Catholic belief and prac- 
tice. Rather everything tends toward unbe- 
lief and materialism. 

The need is, therefore, all the greater for 



The Self-Starter 63 

Catholics to look to their own interests, and 
chief among these is the spiritual welfare of 
their Catholic youth. Save the boys and girls 
for the Church, and her perpetuity is guaran- 
teed. 



CHAPTER VIII 



TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE 

1 1 very good housekeeper knows that when 
4 man y P°ts are boiling on the stove, the 
one or the other is apt to boil down and the con- 
tents be ruined by burning. In like manner, 
too many irons in the blacksmith's fire give him 
more work than he can reasonably handle. 
Thus also, many Catholics are interested in a 
host of enterprises, but least of all concerned 
about the welfare of their souls. Business be- 
fore religion is the slogan of to-day. And alas, 
it has been adopted by not a few who consider 
themselves God-fearing. 

The pastor of a congregation loses no op- 
portunity to urge his people to frequently re- 
ceive Holy Communion. Are his efforts at- 
tended with success? To a certain degree they 

64 



Too Many Irons in the Fire 65 

are. But always he hears the same excuse, 
"I am too busy to go to confession on Saturday, 
and Sunday morning the time is too short and 
the number of penitents too great." But why 
is he too busy on Saturday? Is it perhaps be- 
cause he has too many irons in the fire? Cer- 
tainly, the nature of some forms of business 
demands the owner's constant attention on 
Saturdays. But it is equally certain that by 
far the majority of Catholics have time in abun- 
dance to go to confession and Holy Commun- 
ion weekly or at least every month. 

Then we have the man of wealth who fails to 
contribute his share to good causes. Is it not 
a fact that the poor and those in moderate cir- 
cumstances are most generous to the Church? 
Why do we so seldom hear of substantial dona- 
tions by wealthy Catholics to the support of our 
charitable and educational enterprises? It is 
to be feared that wealth has made them forget- 
ful of their obligations to God, the Giver of all 
things. But in many cases it will be an in- 
stance of too many irons in the fire. No 



66 Too Many Irons in the Fire 

amount of wealth satisfies the human heart. 
There is always the yearning for more. Con- 
sequently, large investments are placed; every 
cent is made to labor for more ; and thus, even 
the wealthy sometimes have but limited funds 
at their immediate disposal. And who would 
ever think of selling a valuable bond or a block 
of stocks to make a donation to some church or 
charitable institution! Wealth warps the 
hearts of men. 

Having an interest in so many varied en- 
deavors, naturally the most neglected of our 
affairs will suffer immeasurably. Now, sad as 
it may seem, religion is usually the one affair 
that is neglected. It is apparently considered 
a "side-issue" in the lives of men. But in real- 
ity the service of God is the most important 
task assigned to us. For this reason more 
time, more energy and more money should be 
expended upon the promotion of religious un- 
dertakings than upon any other business. The 
soul is more than the body. Long after this 
pampered shell of ours will have decayed in its 



Too Many Irons in the Fire 67 

grave, the immortal spirit that gives it life will 
continue to exist. Consequently, everything 
that interferes with the soul's realization of its 
end is superfluous in our lives. "You cannot 
serve God and Mammon" was the warning 
sounded years ago. It echoes through the ages 
as the truest word ever spoken. Every man 
must labor to live. But there is absolutely no 
need of wealth. Magnificent palaces and 
lovely gardens will not satiate the soul's hunger 
for happiness. There is only one thing that 
will still the longing that burns in every human 
breast; it is complete happiness with God. To 
attain this happiness it is necessary to serve 
God. It is the first, the most important, the 
only task that has been set before us. How 
pitiful is the sight of the man or woman who 
labors from morn to night, day after day, to 
acquire wealth! What folly to lavish all our 
energy and to expend all our time in the pur- 
suit of that which we cannot hold! 

But let us view the danger of too many irons 
from another angle. We find that often pa- 



68 Too Many Irons in the Fire 

rental duties are neglected because of the many 
obligations arising from social affiliations. 
The club harbors many fathers and mothers 
more frequently than the home. Children are 
given over to the care of nurses and house- 
maids. The father or mother finds it simply 
impossible to attend to the education and in- 
struction of the children. There is the bridge- 
club at Mrs. So-and-So's and the lodge or 
poker club at Smith's. Then the Commercial 
Club has its weekly meeting, while the Cham- 
ber of Commerce and the Automobile Associa- 
tion must be attended regularly. Of course, 
the theater and the concert demand an evening. 
But what about those little boys and girls at 
home whose tender years cry out for the love 
of a mother and the care of a father? Too 
many irons in the fire! The rearing of chil- 
dren is of far greater importance than the so- 
cial or commercial club. 

Queen Victoria of Spain has a host of social 
duties that make great demands on her time. 
But have you observed that this lovely queen, 



Too Many Irons in the Fire 69 

who is perhaps one of the most photographed 
of women, is rarely seen except in the company 
of her children? Catholic mothers and fa- 
thers might take an example from this con- 
vert. 

All that has been said in this chapter may be 
reduced to the one thought : Religion is more 
important than business or social success. Be- 
hold the captain of industry. A certain num- 
ber of hours are given over every day to his 
business. During these hours of work nothing 
else is allowed to interfere. But is business, 
even the most successful, half as important as 
the salvation of a human soul? All the com- 
merce in the world might have gone to ruin be- 
fore God would have sent His Son to save it. 
But He did send a Redeemer to save human 
souls. 'No price was too great, for He paid the 
highest possible ransom. 

If then the soul is of such value, if its salva- 
tion is of paramount importance, the least that 
reasonable men and women should do, is to 
give the soul equal attention with worldly busi- 



70 Too Many Irons in the Fire 

ness. Nothing, not even the opportunity of 
acquiring wealth, should interfere with our re- 
ligious duties. 

The fiend of hell is past-master in the art of 
seduction. His schemes for the ruination of 
souls are countless. Without a doubt, he is 
the agitator who has suggested the hundred and 
one different forms of diversion and amuse- 
ment that draw human beings away from the 
great task of saving their souls. If he can in- 
terest them in many other matters, he knows 
that religion will suffer, and consequently great 
numbers of immortal spirits will plunge down 
into hell. It is our task to combat this arch- 
enemy of the human race. We can do so most 
effectively by refusing to interest ourselves in 
each and every form of distraction, by not put- 
ting too many irons in the fire. 



CHAPTER IX 

FALSE GODS 

Try as he will, man can not rid himself of 
the deeply-rooted conviction that a Su- 
preme Being rules his destinies, and that within 
his mortal shell there dwells a spirit that can 
not die. Even the greatest scientists, men and 
women of keen intellectual attainments, refuse 
to go long without risking a guess at the prob- 
ability of an unseen world inhabited by the 
discarnate souls of men. They are even at- 
tempting to perfect scientific instruments to 
communicate with the dead. What a holiday 
old Lucifer will have when man first attempts 
to receive messages from the spirit world by 
means of scientific instruments! 

By means of spiritism Satan has induced 
untold numbers of believers and unbelievers to 

71 



72 False Gods 

bend their knee before his satanic majesty. 
However, he has tried the scheme before. 
Spiritism is nothing new; it will soon be a 
neglected fad, unless another war arouses the 
curiosity of those who would fain look behind 
the curtains of eternity. 

But Satan's list of false gods is far from 
exhausted. He knows how to approach each 
individual according to his r -judices. There 
is the false god of heresy, which seems to satisfy 
the yearning of many human souls for closer 
communication with the Most High. For 
those of a Protestant turn of mind, there are 
countless sects that offer little more than pro- 
test against the true Church. Their contempt 
for "the idolatry of the Mass" and "sacra- 
mental superstitions", must appease the most 
Protestant heart. Should there be others who 
cling to the "Catholic" name, and fondly be- 
lieve themselves to be united to the apostolic 
succession, a form of Mass is suggested, as in 
the High Church. To Satan it makes but 
little difference what one believes, as long as 



False Gods 



73 



the Roman Catholic Church is devoutly hated. 
The attachment of Anglicans, for instance, to 
their faith, whether it be "Catholic" or Prot- 
estant, is so strong that even in the face of con- 
viction of its errors they can, only with diffi- 
culty, tear themselves from its embrace. Even 
a man of the caliber of Bishop Kinsman fought 
to the last ditch to keep his hold on the faith 
which he learned to know to be counterfeit. 
When strong men fight such battles to master 
their own souls, what must be the holocaust of 
weak victims offered up to the Wrecker of 
Souls. 

In olden times a host of stone gods and god- 
desses satisfied the craving of the human heart 
for intimacy with divinity. Those days have 
passed. A new system of deception had to be 
introduced, else the nations would crowd the 
altars of the One True God. There is no 
Aaron to fashion a golden calf for those who 
demand a deity — and in all likelihood there 
would be few to bend their knee before the 
idol. But gold has always had a peculiar at- 



74 



False Gods 



traction for human beings. Accordingly, Sa- 
tan has deified it. Riches, honors, and luxury- 
are placed before our eyes as the greatest good 
that man can attain. But do men adore 
wealth? Look how they sacrifice health and 
strength for its attainment. No sacrifice is too 
big, no risk too great, no danger too appalling. 
Conscience, virtue, honor and love are thrown 
to the winds. There is no abatement, no re- 
spite in the mad race, until the worshiper 
kneels before the throne of his god, a pile of 
gold. Was there ever a form of idolatry that 
wrought such havoc with the belief in the One 
True God as the lust for gold? Was there 
ever a form of heresy or false religion which 
made man so abject a slave to his spurious 
deity? 

But if we could look down into the maw of 
hell and see there the great numbers of those 
who preferred a false god to the living Master 
of heaven and earth, we should probably dis- 
cover that the greatest number of these un- 



False Gods 



75 



fortunates were lost because they adored the 
god of lust, 

"A monster of so frightful mien 
As to be hated needs but to be seen." 

"Thou shalt not have false gods before Me" 
was thundered down from Mount Sinai. Are 
we so simple as to believe that this prohibition 
was intended for the ancient pagans only, who 
sincerely thought their idols to be gods? Civ- 
ilized nations know but little of stone idols. 
But a host of false gods, so cunningly fash- 
ioned that even the intellectuals fall down and 
adore, have been substituted. To the man who 
believes in immortality the arch-enemy pre- 
sents spiritism. To the piously inclined he of- 
fers a false religion. To the ambitious he 
holds up honors and wealth. For the sensual 
he has fashioned the god of lust. What mat- 
ters it how they adore or what they adore, as 
long as they are kept at a safe distance from 
the tabernacle of the Lamb of God? How 



76 



False Gods 



long will human beings continue to allow them- 
selves to be misled by him who seeks only their 
destruction! Unhappiness will continue to 
fill the earth with tears, and hearts will go on 
bleeding until Christians arise in their might 
and strike down the false gods of hell. 



CHAPTER X 

HONESTY, THE BEST POLICY 

The ancient, Diogenes, who went about 
with a lantern seeking an honest man, 
might find his task more hopeless in our times 
than in the days of yore. A casual glance at 
the daily newspapers reveals to us the complex- 
ion of modern commercial and political life. 
Short weights, adulterated foodstuffs, decep- 
tion, fraud, embezzling, graft and a list of other 
forms of dishonesty, furnish the reporter with 
an abundant supply of matter for copy. 

Honest men who have sought political office, 
tell us that sincerity and virtue are not wanted 
in the political world. Upright dealers in 
food and merchandise .assure us that the strict 
adherence to the principles of honesty is a 

positive obstacle in the quest of wealth. And 

77 



78 Honesty, the Best Policy 

our own observations will have convinced us 
that the man who is able to make many prom- 
ises — he with the broad smile and friendly 
hand-shake — is the one whose name heads the 
list on the day after election. We also find the 
unscrupulous merchant and profiteer accumu- 
lating the wealth, while his honest competitor 
struggles along in the middle class. 

Is honesty, then, the best policy? Or would 
it not be far better to adapt ourselves to the 
spirit of the times, to throw off the shackles of 
a too exacting conscience? God forbid that 
Catholics should ever seek the level of the chil- 
dren of the modern world. For what is the 
reason for dishonesty as we find it all about us, 
but the lack of faith, the materialism that seems 
to be the very life-principle of the world? Re- 
ligion is looked upon as some pleasing diversion 
to pass away the long hours of a Sunday. But 
it has no place in the workshop, in the factory, 
in the store or office. A hundred and one 
themes are discussed in the Sunday sermon, but 
there is no earnest endeavor made to implant 



Honesty, the Best Policy 79 

the fear of God and obedience to His command- 
ments in the hearts of men. The result is, that 
men and women who are still church-goers look 
upon religion as the great champion of prohibi- 
tion or the zealous promoter of foreign mis- 
sions. But they do not expect to be told in 
church that dishonesty is a crime — at least not 
their particular kind of dishonesty. And thus 
business covers a multitude of sins. 

However, the Catholic must have quite an- 
other viewpoint. We cannot expect the strict 
inculcation of honesty from any form of re- 
ligion that has employed deceit, fraud, and fal- 
sification of the Scriptures to justify its own 
existence. But the Catholic Church is the in- 
stitution of Him who said, "I am the Way, the 
Truth and the Life." She insists upon hon- 
esty in all our dealings with our fellow-men, 
and she condemns deceit, graft, bribery, and all 
other forms of dishonesty, as sins that merit the 
punishment of God. 

What an honor for the Church that Catholics 
are sought for positions of trust by those who 



80 Honesty, the Best Policy 

must have honest servants. But not only the 
fear of confession and the obligation of return- 
ing unjustly acquired goods should prompt us 
to honesty. Our Faith tells us that it really is 
the best policy. 

The successful politician may wield great 
power within the sphere of his activities. He 
may be the instigator of laws and the super- 
visor of government. He may amass great 
wealth — but in a few short years death, the 
inevitable leveler, will overtake him. And as 
he lies there on his couch of pain, and the years 
of his existence pass swiftly before his eyes,- — 
what then will be his judgment of his own past? 
The wealth gathered in the heyday of his ex- 
istence will be but little comfort to him who 
fain would give everything for a peaceful con- 
science. The fame that crowned his name and 
apotheosized his power, will only bear testi- 
mony to the sinfulness of his life. He stands 
before the Gate of Life a pauper; his body, for 
which he labored and sinned will be buried un- 



Honesty, the Best Policy 81 

der the ground ; his soul, destitute of embellish- 
ment and reeking with the stench of crime, is 
no fit subject for beatitude. What remorse, 
what anguish fills his soul as the folly of his 
life is brought home to him by death. 

And the merchant, employer, or employee 
who hopes to gain by dishonesty, needs but 
think of the great day of judgment when the 
depth of his iniquities will be fathomed by the 
eyes of the world, when the fraud and deceit 
that gained him fortune will be unmasked in all 
its wretchedness. Can the wealth of the whole 
world make amends for the shame and confu- 
sion of that awful day? 

"Thou shalt not steal" is the commandment 
of God that was thundered down from Mount 
Sinai. And every form of unjust acquisition 
of another's property is condemned by these 
words of God. 

State laws may outlaw old debts and absolve 
bankrupts from the obligation of restoring 
what belongs to another. But the law of God 



82 Honesty, the Best Policy 

ordains that "a thing cries for its owner", and 
neither state law nor magistrate can alter this 
truth. 

We have been told that debts remaining un- 
paid for a certain number of years become out- 
lawed, and the creditor cannot collect. The 
law may have a purpose. But conscience tells 
us that a just debt must be paid if possible. 
If certain goods of value have been given to us 
with the understanding that we will pay the 
equivalent in money at our convenience, there 
is a solemn obligation present to fulfill our part 
of the contract. That obligation remains as 
long as the debt is unpaid, and goes over to our 
heirs. 

The world may applaud dishonesty and call 
it sagacity, but the law of God calls it crime. 
And as such it will be recorded in the Book of 
Life, to bear testimony against its perpetrators 
on the day of judgment. In the light of faith, 
honesty is always the best policy. 



CHAPTER XI 

MORALITY OR RUIN? 

But a few years ago we were advised that 
the return of millions of soldiers of all 
nations to their homes would produce a most 
wholesome effect upon the world's morality. 
It was argued that these men who had faced 
death, who had witnessed the wholesale carnage 
of the most sanguinary war of all times, would 
be filled with a horror for the levities and de- 
bauchery of modern life, and would exercise a 
most benign influence upon the world about 
them for the amelioration of ethical standards. 

However, after two years of peace, this 
hoped-for improvement of public morals has 
not materialized. Quite the contrary is true. 
It seems as though high wages and shorter 
working hours have given an impetus to uni- 



84 Morality or Ruin? 

versal immorality. What was considered 
grossly immoral and immodest on the stage, or 
in the ball-room a score of years ago, is to-day 
termed "clean" and "wholesome". Can it be 
possible that a generation of prudes inhabited 
the earth twenty years ago? Rather it is to be 
feared that men and women have grown so cal- 
loused in their association with the vulgar and 
sinful, that vice, the hideous monster, has be- 
come tolerable, yes, even lovable. 

But the manhood and womanhood of every 
country is developing the unmistakable signs 
of our viciousness. For the blood that courses 
through the veins of men and women is largely 
tainted and infected with the leprous conse- 
quence of sin. 

We are amazed at the revelations of military 
examiners who declare that the so-called social 
disease has a strong hold on the youth of the 
land. We clamor for laws of sex-hygiene and 
what-not to turn the tide of pollution that 
threatens to engulf us. But what about the 
laxity and positive immorality of our theaters ? 



Morality or Ruin? 85 

Can the continuous showing of vice in its most 
virulent form have any other effect upon young 
men and young women than to fan to flame of 
fever-heat the passions that burn in their 
breasts? 

While w^e anxiously call upon the nation to 
devise some means of preventing the spread of 
vicious diseases, we sit by and allow the hun- 
dred and one devices of the devil for the de- 
struction of our youth to thrive. 

And all this is knowingly tolerated by city 
and state officials! All the evil spirits are let 
loose to destroy morality, purity, and rever- 
ence. Not a single effort is made to prevent 
the minds of young people from being infected 
with the corruption of our age. Not a single 
safeguard is thrown about them. 

The Church of God is grieved to note the 
depths to which our generation has sunken. 
And as our great Mother, she seeks to enlarge 
the scope of her activities ; she strives with every 
means at her disposal to save the world from 
utter ruin. 



86 Morality or Ruin? 

She condemns the fickleness of modern styles 
in clothing. She condemns the modern theater 
as the hot-bed of sin and the nursery of vice. 
She openly declares that modern morality, 
conceived of irreligiousness and materialism, is 
not only bringing about the ruin of nations and 
untold misery and unhappiness among the 
world's inhabitants, but is actually dragging 
thousands down into a hell of torment and suf- 
fering that none but the damned can estimate. 

However, our morality and our fickleness 
are but the logical conclusion reached by the 
philosophy that governs the nations. If there 
is no God, — and men will cling to this absurd- 
ity — then let us make the best of the few years 
of life that are ours. If death ends all things 
for me as it does for the beast that is harbored 
in my barn, then on with revelry and lawless- 
ness. These will at least drive away the wor- 
ries of business and amend for the pains and 
sorrows of existence. 

But if there is a God, and if it be true that 
this life is but a preparation for a life to come, 



Morality or Rwn? 87 

— if after a few short years death will open up 
the portals of eternity, and if that eternity will 
be for me either of untold happiness or of un- 
speakable anguish and torment accordingly as 
I have observed the will of God — then the 
world is mad to go on as it does in riotousness 
and debauchery. And every leader and every 
teacher, religious or other, who does not con- 
demn in unmistakable terms the trend of the 
times, is a false teacher and a traitor to his 
calling. 

We hear many reformers growing eloquent 
in their tirades against the use of liquor or to- 
bacco. But do they ever raise their voices 
against the evils of the divorce-mill, present- 
day immodesty, or the utter lack of religious 
training in the schools? 

Catholics sometimes think that their Church 
is not abreast with the times, and that she dwells 
too much on the wickedness of moderns which 
she cannot change. God be praised that she 
is not abreast with the times if modernity means 
the abandoning of the Ten Commandments 



88 Morality or Ruin? 

and the open gate to all the filth that hell has 
invented. And if she dwells at great length 
on the sinfulness of the times, she is only doing 
that which she has been commissioned to do, 
viz.: to teach all nations to do what God has 
commanded. 

If, by any conceivable possibility, the Cath- 
olic Church should be destroyed from the 
world, the next score of years would find hu- 
man beings in such a depth of wickedness and 
abandonment that the conditions once obtain- 
ing in Sodom and Gomorrha would be but 
mildly comparable. 

For she alone can demonstrate her author- 
ity to teach ; she alone speaks infallibly in mat- 
ters of faith and morals ; she alone teaches what 
the Master commanded her to teach, and not 
merely the private judgments of her ministers; 
she alone stands before the world to-day the 
mighty champion of righteousness, the unfet- 
tered foe of vice, the guardian of virtue, the in- 
fallible guide that points out the Way, the 
Truth and the Life to the wandering pilgrim. 



CHAPTER XII 



CENSORSHIP OF AMUSEMENTS 

Like a filthy stream of corruption flowing 
through the land and spreading its hor- 
rible pollution far and wide, is the current of 
modern amusements. 

Lest it seem that I condemn categorically all 
forms of modern amusement, I hasten to ad- 
mit that it is but an abuse of their possibilities 
that makes the dance -hall, the stage, and the 
screen liable to condemnation. To be sure, 
there are many who enjoy dancing without 
compromising virtue. Some theatrical per- 
formances are to be highly recommended for 
the good they may effect. And even moving- 
picture shows are at times elevating and in- 
structive. But take up your daily newspaper, 
look at the theatrical announcements, and what 

89 / 



90 Censorship of Amusements 

is the tone of the average announcement of 
plays and film-shows? Go to the dance-halls 
and are not voluptuous dances the order of the 
program? Dances, dramas and photo-plays 
seem to have their being and existence in the 
theme of the sex relations. 

The mayors of our cities no longer censor 
these amusements; and one is put down as an 
"old fogy" if he ventures to voice his disgust. 
Reformers seem to find an inexhaustible sup- 
ply of abuses, but fail to see the glaring evil of 
the resorts of sin. But can this go on forever? 
What will be the outcome of it all for Church 
and State ? Even now the State is at a loss to 
account for its failing manhood. And the 
Church is bending every effort to find ways and 
means to save its youth from ruination. 

But the Church alone is powerless ; she must 
have the unstinted support of the fathers and 
mothers of families. In countries where the 
greater part of the population is either hereti- 
cal or infidel, the Church will accomplish but 
little in her endeavors to refine the tone of 



Censorship of Amusements 91 

amusements. She can only hope to throw out 
the warning, and with the cooperation of par- 
ents, place the guard of virtue around our chil- 
dren. 

To Catholic parents, therefore, the call goes 
out to censor the amusements which their chil- 
dren attend. Of course, it would be out of the 
question for them to visit every picture-house, 
dance-hall and theater to review the program 
offered. But announcements in the daily 
newspapers, titles, and comments generally 
give us a fair notion of the nature of the en- 
tertainment that seeks public patronage. 

Catholic parents cannot allow their children 
to attend the sex-plays, and the films and stage 
productions that revel in suggestiveness. 
As a rule, the mere title of a play will give 
us a clew to its nature and purposes. A 
great number of the films shown in our mov- 
ing-picture theaters are unfit to be seen by self- 
respecting adults, and are not at all wholesome 
for the growing generation. The frequent 
portrayal of the use of drugs and the effects 

# 



92 Censorship of Amusements 

observed, cannot but exercise a pernicious in- 
fluence upon the minds of boys and girls. Then 
we have the revolting crimes of social degener- 
ates, the irreverent treatment of the most 
sacred prerogative of woman, the frequent 
representation of suicide, murder, and crime 
of every description. The dime-novel of years 
ago was only mildly injurious to the minds of 
the young, as compared to the evil influence of 
the lower type of moving-pictures. 

True, in a number of states we have boards 
of censors who scrutinize every foot of film be- 
fore it is produced. But unless the censors be 
of strong moral character, unless they are men 
and women who are guided by the highest 
standards of morality, censorship will not at- 
tain that efficiency which Catholic parents must 
demand. 

As for dancing, but little effort would be re- 
quired to learn the policy of the various halls. 
Only such dances should be attended by Cath- 
olics which are conducted by men or women of 
unquestionable moral fiber. 



Censorship of Amusements 93 

Catholics must bear in mind that, although 
they do not form a majority in the various 
cities, states, or nations, they undoubtedly rep- 
resent a force that is counted upon by the pro- 
ducers of amusements. We are too strong to 
be ignored. And if Catholic parents every- 
where should rise up in protest against the filth 
of immoral amusement enterprises; if they 
should exercise censorship and strictly forbid 
their sons and daughters to attend amusements 
condemned by them, we may be sure that the 
result would be, not only the preservation of 
the virtue of Catholic young men and women, 
but a decided move for the purification of 
dance-hall and theater morals. In the words 
of Father Garesche in his book "Your Neigh- 
bor and You", "We are too many, too wide- 
spread, too necessary, we Catholics, for most 
social gatherings to be quite complete unless we 
choose to go." 

We cannot hope for much reform from other 
quarters. The law of the land lays no stric- 
tures upon immorality unless it be unvarnished 



94 Censorship of Amusements 

and condemned by all. The non- Catholic 
churches do not seem to be aware that there is a 
danger in the modern forms of amusement, or 
else they are indifferent. Therefore, Catholics 
must rise up in all their strength and exercise 
every influence to prevent their children from 
being contaminated at the vicious stream that 
courses freely through the land. Seventeen 
million Catholics in the United States! Do 
we realize that ten million Freemasons would 
close every parochial school in the country and 
pass laws to make the practice of our religion 
next to impossible ? Why then must we, whose 
numbers are far greater than those of Free- 
masons in this country, sit by idly whilst the 
enemies of our holy Religion wreak their ter- 
rible vengeance upon God, by tearing our chil- 
dren right out of our arms and leading them to 
sin and destruction? 

A terrible day of judgment will dawn when 
this world has rounded out its course. Can we 
imagine anything more deplorable than the 
utter despair of parents who will stand on the 



Censorship of Amusements 95 

left side of the Judge, awaiting the terrible 
words of condemnation, because they failed in 
the one great work that was assigned to them, 
the safeguarding of the virtue of their children? 

Let no spirit of toleration warp our judg- 
ment in censoring the amusements that our 
children may attend. And God grant that the 
day is not far off when strict laws will make it 
impossible for immoral vultures to grow fat by 
catering to all that is low and depraved in hu- 
man nature. 



CHAPTER XIII 



SMALL BEGINNINGS 

If all the wickedness were apparent, and all 
the evil consequences were disclosed to us 
when first we presume to tread the flowery path 
of vice, no man would plunge into ruin and 
damnation for the little pleasure that sin can 
buy. But there is the subtlety of temptation. 
It leads you on, carefully screening from your 
eyes the abyss of misery that awaits you at the 
end of the path. It counsels recklessness, and 
assures you that you will gain for your knowl- 
edge and experience. It tells you that your 
small irregularities are only trifles and that 
they cannot brand you with the mark of serious 
viciousness. But remember : 

"There is a method in man's wickedness; 
It grows up by degrees." 

96 



Small Beginnings 97 

The unfortunate victim of the fascinating 
gambling table played for small amounts at 
first. He probably was aware, in the begin- 
ning, that the game had an attraction for him 
which was irresistible, and that here was a 
danger that might eventually prove to be his 
undoing. But he reasoned that there could 
not be much harm in a small hazard. His rea- 
soning was correct as far as it went. But for 
some people the allurement of gambling is so 
strong that its charm completely masters them. 
In the passion of the game they forget home 
and business obligations; they rob their wives 
and children of happiness; they stifle in their 
own breasts all sense of honor. Their losses 
bring about a state of nervous worriment that 
borders on insanity. Moral and physical ruin 
is the result of their passion. But then it is 
too late to speak of self-denial and reform. 
Bound and shackled in the slavery of this sin, 
men are too weak to break their bonds. 

Again, we hear so much in our day of the 
"eternal triangle", the infidelity of husbands 



98 Small Beginnings 

and wives. The repeated accounts of broken 
marriage vows recorded in the newspapers, the 
frequency with which plays of this kind are 
presented on the stage give evidence of the 
prevalence of this crime. 

Now the man or woman who has been untrue 
to the solemn promises made at the altar, prob- 
ably had no intention of committing a crime 
when first he or she met the third person. 
However, the danger was apparent at the first 
meetings; and the joy and happiness of sub- 
sequent clandestine reunions gave evidence 
enough that here was no longer a platonic af- 
fection, sexless, harmless and sinless, but a 
positive defiance of human nature. Not after 
crime had already been committed, but just 
as soon as it became apparent that there was 
danger of sinning, was the time to avoid the 
occasion and avert the impending calamity. 
Clandestine meetings of men and women who 
already owe matrimonial allegiance and fidel- 
ity to another, are to be abhorred as most 
grievous violations of the sacred troth. 



Small Beginnings 99 

We also find that the rapid fall of the em- 
bezzler may be traced to small beginnings. 
He does not proceed by taking great sums of 
another's money. He "borrows" five or ten 
dollars. Later he "borrows" fifty. While he 
is at it, he might just as well take a hundred or 
more. To be sure, he does not call his pilfer- 
ing "theft"; he intends to return every cent 
when fortune smiles on him again. But the 
total amount of his "loans" is soon far beyond 
his assets — and the crash comes. His good 
name is lost, and neither wealth nor work can 
bring it back again. When first he was 
tempted to "borrow" surreptitiously, he should 
have said a firm "No, I will not!" and his mis- 
fortune never would have come to pass. 

Perhaps at no time will the need of stifling 
the early beginnings of sin become more ap- 
parent than in the tender years of childhood. 
Right here let us register our emphatic disap- 
proval of the tendency of modern fathers and 
mothers to pamper their children and to allow 
them every wish and whim. It is a great ques- 



100 Small Beginnings 

tion whether tender hearts or tender brains 
have brought about the abandonment of the 
"rod" in the rearing of children. Could our 
Catholic fathers and mothers of fifty years ago 
return to earth and witness the impertinence 
of the present-day children toward their par- 
ents and teachers, — could they but see the bold- 
ness of familiarity between the sexes, and the 
carelessness of parents in allowing their off- 
spring to acquire, in tender years, habits of 
disobedience, untruthfulness and impiety — 
they would surely prophesy the coming of a 
generation of faithless and unconscionable 
men and women. 

A child is much like a plant. When it is 
young and tender it is easily trained for the 
future. If you allow the plant to grow wild, 
it will send forth its stems and branches in 
every direction. Some will droop, others will 
rise boldly to the light only to be overcome by 
their own weight, break off and wither. If 
you fasten the young stems to something stable, 



Small Beginnings 101 

the plant will cling to its support and blossom 
gratefully. 

So, too, the child's habits must, in the early 
years, be trained to cling to something stable 
and upright. The child must know, at the 
first dawn of reason, that its parents are its 
lawful superiors. And as the years go on, it 
must ever become more convinced that obedi- 
ence to and respect for parents are as impor- 
tant as the daily nourishment. It may be nec- 
essary to use the "rod" or the "switch" 
occasionally. But even God finds Himself 
compelled to administer suffering and correc- 
tion to His children in order to gain their love 
and obedience. 

To preserve integrity, purity, and honor, the 
old must ever be watchful, and the young must 
be protected against the little beginnings of 
crime. Man is, in consequence of his fallen 
nature, easily led to sin. His inclinations are 
toward evil. Now it is a psychological fact 
that if he consents to a wrong, no matter how 



102 Small Beginnings 

small and trifling the irregularity may be, his 
power of resistance is thereby weakened. The 
second temptation need not be much stronger 
to lead him to a greater misdeed. 

No one was better acquainted with the hu- 
man soul and its faculties than the saints. We 
find that they abhorred even the slightest will- 
ful sin. Thus also, we should carefully avoid 
the small beginnings of wrongdoing. Our 
vigilance will give us cause for much gratifica- 
tion, and we shall never experience the remorse 
that tortures those who have tasted the bitter 
dregs of the cup of pleasure. 



CHAPTER XIV 



DOING BIG THINGS 

The title of this chapter is a pet phrase 
employed by writers to designate the ac- 
tivities of their idols in the world of commerce, 
in the arts, or in literature. But are the things 
thus named really big? Are they lasting? 
We hear of the great financier, Mr. So-and-So, 
"doing big things" in the financial world. But 
upon investigation we find that the amassing 
of unearned millions, the clever manipulation 
of stocks and bonds, and the hawk-like watch- 
ing for the unpreparedness of another in order 
to seize his possessions and not offend the law, 
are the sum and total of his achievements. 

The man of letters is often lauded as the 
author of great things in literature. But what 
is our disgust to discover that the products of 

103 



104 Doing Big Things 

his pen are nothing more than filth and cor- 
ruption! He spreads a false view of life; and 
instills the principles of wrong philosophical 
thinking into the minds of his readers. The 
"best-seller" at the bookstore, so frequently re- 
ferred to as a "big" success, is usually of this 
type. 

But even though the work of a man or 
woman be not of the caliber suggested, even if 
their labors be honest and above suspicion, can 
we speak of "big things" in regard to that 
which is merely transitory? 

However, there are "big things" to be done 
in the world ; and the ambitious man or woman 
will find that there is no dearth of opportuni- 
ties. 

Aside from the noble work of those who con- 
secrate themselves as God's laborers, every 
parish offers innumerable ways of doing things 
that time will not obliterate. 

There is, for instance, the splendid work of 
bringing the truths of God to the knowledge 
of those who would otherwise remain in igno- 



Doing Big Things 105 

ranee of them. There are millions of people 
in our country, thousands in your city, who are 
absolutely ignorant of "the Way, the Truth 
and the Life". And since it is our firm con- 
viction that no greater misfortune can befall 
a man than to lose the happiness of heaven, 
how trivial and worthless are the "big things' ' 
of life in comparison to the saving of one hu- 
man soul? 

But that is the work of priests, some one 
will say. They have the time and the ability 
to win souls. That is their vocation, to be 
sure, but is it not a fact that a layman is ad- 
mitted where a priest is unwelcome? And do 
you not imagine that if a sound and respected 
business man would approach an infidel or an 
apostate Catholic, his influence would be far 
greater than that of a priest? 

The man who has been successful in business 
is looked up to by the average citizen as a man 
of great sagacity and wisdom. If one of this 
type exercises the duties of the apostolate his 
efforts are sure to be attended with success. 



106 Doing Big Things 

Ours is essentially an age of lay activity. We 
cannot but admire the zeal of Protestant lay- 
men in furthering the interests of their 
churches. We have every reason to expect 
that Catholic men and women of influence will 
lend their aid, their time, and their money in 
the furtherance of Catholic interests. 

Then there is the admirable work of spread- 
ing Catholic literature. The nations are de- 
cidedly reading nations to-day. And the 
power of the press has never been limited. 
Every agency and every undertaking that 
hopes to succeed, liberally employs printer's 
ink. Now Catholic books, magazines and 
newspapers are here in great quantities. 
There are weekly, fortnightly, and monthly 
magazines published under Catholic direction 
that stand second to none of the magazines 
published by others. There are also very good 
Catholic newspapers which speak well for the 
ability and the zeal of their editors. The task 
before us, is to get these expressions of Cath- 
olic belief into the hands of those who are 



Doing Big Things 107 

searching for the truth. What greater work 
could be done than liberally to patronize the 
Catholic press and to expend our energies and 
our wealth in the circulation of these excellent 
missionaries ? 

Protestant educational institutions and mis- 
sionary endeavors have been and are thriving, 
owing to the unheard-of sums of money lav- 
ished upon them by Protestant men and women 
of wealth, as well as by the toilers of that faith. 
In the meantime, Catholic universities are in 
dire straits, owing to the increased cost of 
everything and the lack of Catholic patronage. 
The Catholic missions are far behind their com- 
petitors in the matter of means to carry on their 
glorious work. Here are opportunities for 
"doing big things." 

Is it a Catholic trait that when fortune smiles 
upon a Catholic, he either becomes indifferent 
to the needs of the Church and the opportuni- 
ties for doing good, or becomes so avaricious 
that only with the greatest difficulty small do- 
nations for worthy purposes are extracted 



108 Doing Big Things 

from him? Whatever the reason may be, 
wealthy Catholics as a class are not measuring 
up to the generosity of Protestants of means; 
and instead of "doing big things," they are the 
authors and perpetrators of very "small" 
things. 

But is the spread of Catholic literature, the 
apostolate of word and example, the endow- 
ment of charitable and educational institu- 
tions, the support of Catholic missions, to be 
construed as "doing big things"? The great- 
ness of these works cannot be measured in 
words. They all tend to the great and ad- 
mirable objective, the saving of immortal souls. 

Not seldom an encouraging word or the pe- 
rusal of a good book has wrought the conver- 
sion of men and women. Our charitable insti- 
tutions throw open their doors to homeless 
waifs, to the aged and to the poor. Our ex- 
perience with human nature will tell us what 
would be the fate of these orphans and helpless 
if the Church, the great Mother, would not 
lovingly take them to her bosom. 



Doing Big Things 109 

The Catholic colleges and universities con- 
stitute our main hope of combating the mate- 
rialism and infidelity of our age. By sending 
professional men and women out into the world, 
who are guided by the principles of Christian 
philosophy, whose knowledge is built upon the 
firm bed-rock of faith, our institutions of learn- 
ing are performing a service for the Church 
and for the world that will only receive its just 
appreciation on the day of judgment. 

And the Catholic missions! Go to the Far 
East and witness the alarming condition of 
millions of our fellow-men who are absolutely 
ignorant of the first truths of Christianity. 
Or go to the southern and far-western states 
of our own country where thousands have never 
seen a Catholic priest, and many others see 
one but rarely — and you will realize that the 
work of the Catholic missions at home and 
abroad is a work whose scope is measured only 
by the circumference of the globe. 

This is what is rightly called "doing big 
things." For can any work, any endeavor, 



110 Doing Big Things 

any undertaking, be compared to the saving 
of one immortal soul? If only for one mo- 
ment our eyes could look down into the abyss 
of hell and see the despair, the utter desolation 
and extreme anguish of the damned; and if 
we could but have one fleeting glance at the 
wondrous beauty of heaven and the ineffable 
joy of the blessed — we would need no further 
proof that the saving of one soul far outstrips 
the greatest work ever performed by financier, 
artist or litterateur. 

The world, of course, places little value upon 
the soul ; and its future is a matter of indiffer- 
ent conjecture. But He who knows the value 
of this immortal spirit, the Creator, has 
stamped it as worth the price of the life-blood 
of His Only Begotten Son. 

Doing great things for God and the spread 
of truth is a nobler task than the mere gather- 
ing of wealth or the achievement of fame. 
And as a "big thing" it will be recorded in the 
Book of Life long after the histories of great 
men will have been forgotten. 



CHAPTER XV 



COMMUNITY CENTERS 

t this writing a nation-wide survey is be- 



j \ ing made of the facilities offered by the 
various communities for recreation and amuse- 
ment. The Community Service plan which 
became so popular during the war, and which 
offered home-like surroundings to many of our 
soldiers and sailors, is to be preserved in peace 
times. It is hoped to establish in every com- 
munity a place of recreation, where men and 
women can congregate to spend their evenings 
or idle hours in wholesome relaxation. The 
motive behind this national movement, appar- 
ently, is to keep men and women from the dens 
of vice. 

Although the Church welcomes any enter- 
prise that tends to elevate morality, she will 




111 



112 Community Centers 

hesitate to give her unqualified approval to 
these centers for the following reasons. The 
word non-sectarian, which is frequently at- 
tached to movements and institutions, very 
often means non-Catholic. Unless Catholics 
are given equal rights and equal authority with 
members of other denominations in the man- 
agement and direction of these recreational cen- 
ters, it is to be feared that the community cen- 
ter will no more be non-sectarian than the 
Y. M. C. A. or the Indian schools. Then 
again, the community house will undoubtedly 
be equipped with a library and reading rooms. 
Can we hope that Catholic books and periodi- 
cals will be given equal recognition on the 
shelves and tables with other books ? Not un- 
less Catholics are members of the directorate 
and have influence in the management. The 
danger to the faith of Catholics who are at lib- 
erty to read all the shades of belief that have 
sprung from private interpretation, not to 
speak of the works of agnostics and infidels, 
cannot be overestimated. 



Community Centers 113 

But perhaps the most subtle danger for 
Catholics will be that which springs from the 
constant intercourse of Catholics with non- 
Catholics — I mean mixed marriages. These 
unions have been a curse to the Church in 
America. Countless souls have been lost, and 
coldness and indifference to the Church has 
been the result of marriages between Catholics 
and men and women of other faiths. It was 
only by continual preaching and the beneficent 
aid of sodalities and parish societies that the 
number has not been doubled and tripled. 

But with the advent of the community cen- 
ter the sodality and parish society will suffer. 
These houses will offer men and women every 
inducement for patronage. The frequent 
meetings of Catholics with non- Catholics in the 
social rooms and in the auditorium will produce 
the natural fruit, the forbidden marriage. 

What can we do? We must provide Cath- 
olic recreational centers. For some time past 
the discussion of the practicability of Catholic 
community centers has been going on. The 



114 Community Centers 

time is at hand for action. Wheresoever pos- 
sible, the Catholic community house must be 
established if we would ward off the danger 
that threatens our youth. 

True, in many communities the Catholic 
population is not strong enough to support 
and maintain recreational centers. In this 
case it will be necessary for Catholics to insist 
upon the non-sectarian character of the public 
social centers. 

The new* conditions which are daily arising 
and offering new problems to Catholic leaders, 
make it all the more imperative for the latter 
to foster the sodalities for men and women. 
Monthly communion by young men and 
young ladies, instruction and admonition at the 
communion Mass — these are the means that 
must be brought into play and the benefits 
thereof extended to all our young people. It 
will be necessary to divide the parishes into dis- 
tricts, and with the help of zealous promoters, 
win those who are indifferent and lax to greater 
effort in behalf of their soul's welfare. 



Commwnity Centers 115 

[As one priest, who is well-versed in social 
and religious problems, remarked, the greatest 
evil in the attendance of Catholics at the so- 
called non-sectarian institutions, is not the ef- 
forts that are made to rob them of their faith, 
but the lack of sound character on the part of 
the Catholics themselves. If Catholics every- 
where would insist upon their rights in the 
free practice of their religion, if they would 
always display themselves as unshaken and un- 
assailable in matters of faith and morals, there 
would be less danger, and also fewer attempts 
made to ridicule their religion. It would be 
taken for granted that a Catholic will attend 
Mass on Sundays, that he will go to Holy 
Communion at least monthly, and will abstain 
from flesh-meats on Fridays. 

But in order to acquire this soundness of 
faith and strength of character the sodalities 
must be kept in flourishing condition. They 
must be the nurseries of virtuous thinking and 
conscientious action. They must continue the 
inestimable work of the parochial school. 



116 Community Centers 

Who, after all, is happier, the boy or girl 
who has books and games, amusements, and 
recreation without end, or the one who, con- 
secrated to our Mother in heaven, preserves an 
innocent heart and a pure mind? 

Let us first of all safeguard the soul and 
insure its eternal happiness. The tendency to 
furnish every possible convenience and grati- 
fication to the body springs from the nature of 
modern religion, which concerns itself more 
with the life in this world than with the life to 
come. 

But, of course, our young people will want 
bodily comforts too. They will seek out com- 
munity centers, and unless these are under 
Catholic supervision, or at least offer no danger 
to the faith of the young, they will prove to be 
inimical to Catholic progress. 

Let us, therefore, meet as far as possible the 
demand for social centers. But let us, above 
all, foster love and attachment to our sodalities 
and Catholic societies. 



CHAPTER XVI 



VOTING WOMEN 

Emanating from the fanatic brain of 
Rousseau, embodied in the Declaration 
of Independence, the mouth-filling phrase, "all 
men are created equal" has become the most 
abused argument for woman suffrage. As 
far as the soul is concerned, we admit the truth 
of the French philosopher's statement. But 
no person of sound mind will attempt to de- 
fend the equality of the sexes. Aside from the 
fact that nature has clearly defined the distinc- 
tion, and has lent to the man as well as to the 
woman peculiar abilities and inclinations, the 
history of the world has never written an 
authentic record of women with the same en- 
dowments, the same strength and abilities as 
men. True, we have our so-called new-woman 

117 



118 Voting Women 

who has been odiously named feminist. She 
adopts mannish ways and attire, and she rides 
her horse astride. But her kind is limited, and 
is to be found mostly among the women of 
wealth and leisure. 

Not upon the alleged equality of sexes can 
the right to equal suffrage be based. But 
there is, nevertheless, great merit in the de- 
mand of women for the vote. 

The Church has given no ruling on woman 
suffrage, and will probably not try to exert her 
influence for or against the measure. For the 
question is a child of recent times, and is more 
of political than of religious importance. But 
many bishops here and in other countries have 
openly declared in favor of the right of women 
to vote. 

The Most Rev. Austin Dowling, D.D., 
Archbishop of St. Paul, bases his argument in 
favor of suffrage on the fact that woman and 
her interests are not represented in our gov- 
ernment. Legislation, the Archbishop as- 
serts, is brought about not so much by the leg- 



Voting Women 119 

islators' sense of justice and equity, but by the 
influence that is brought to bear upon the leg- 
islative body. And as there is no power which 
the office-holder fears more than the votes that 
may exalt or dethrone him, his greatest work 
is performed in the interest of those who con- 
trol the vote. Consequently woman, unrep- 
resented, and unable to say a word in the choice 
of law-makers suffers an injustice. 

True, the proper sphere for the woman is the 
home. And unhappy the day when she is 
taken away from her lofty and important 
calling as mother and housewife. But what 
about the years before her marriage, the years 
when she is compelled to earn a living? And 
what about the great number of those unable ^ 
to marry? 

You may say that much of recent legislation 
has been in the interest of women. It is true ; 
but why? Because of the ever-growing tend- 
ency to recognize their claims. 

Some one might fear that woman, because of 
her numerous duties in the home, will not be 



120 Voting Women 

able to vote intelligently on important ques- 
tions. Surely, she can vote with as much in- 
telligence as the man who is swayed by the 
street-corner orator, or who is led on by glar- 
ing posters and extravagantly staged political 
parades. For after all, it will be admitted that 
money plays a prominent role in our elections. 
And it is only the fact that we have two great 
opposing political parties that saves the coun- 
try from being tyrannized by a small ruling 
class. With these two great powers forever 
scrutinizing each other's actions while in power, 
the vote in the end actually becomes the in- 
strument of securing good government. If 
there were no other argument in favor of 
woman suffrage, then the fact that women are 
most aggressive in the demand for reforms that 
would shield the growing generation from vice 
and sin, should give them the right to use the 
influence of the ballot in securing the much- 
desired laws. 

Now that the necessary number of states has 
granted women the right to vote, thus making 



Voting Women 121 

it a national franchise, it is no longer a question 
whether Catholic women should vote. Cath- 
olic women must vote! It is their bounden 
duty, for our beloved country cannot forego 
the wholesome influence of their sound judg- 
ment on the politics of city, state or nation. 

~No use for Catholics to be ultra-conservative 
and lag behind others in the progress of the 
world. Why should they complain of the pol- 
icies of administrations or officials if they will 
not raise a finger or voice their sentiments 
through the ballot box to help better those pol- 
icies or help remove those officials ? Why rant 
about the evils of Socialism if they will not 
jump into the fray to offset the votes of the 
women Socialists ? Are Catholic women ready 
to assume the responsibilities? No greater 
mistake could be made than if they would re- 
fuse to go to the polls. 

The number of women, in our country, of 
voting age runs into millions. It needs no 
mathematician to calculate the influence that 
woman's vote will exercise on governmental 



122 Voting Women 

policies in the future. It will also be patent 
that the neglect of a million Catholic voters to 
make use of their constitutional right to vote 
would open the doors for the professional 
bigots to pass laws and measures that would 
bring about a state of persecution akin to that 
experienced in Italy during the past fifty 
years. 

Woman suffrage is here. We would do well 
to recognize its importance and its possibilities. 
Let every Catholic woman become familiar 
with the grave questions that are decided by 
the ballot. Let the Catholic societies for 
women conduct courses of instruction, so that 
their members may vote intelligently for the 
greater honor of God, for the suppression of 
vice and injustice, and for the welfare of the 
country. 



CHAPTER XVII 



WEDLOCK SANCTIFIED 

What sweeter gift of God than that of 
being His instruments in the won- 
derful work of creation! When in the begin- 
ning the Author of all things fashioned a body 
out of clay, infused into it an immortal soul 
and called His work the first man, — when He 
subsequently took a rib of this man and around 
it formed the body of the first woman, breath- 
ing into the molded figure the breath of life — 
He charged these creatures, saying, "Increase 
and multiply." 

From that memorable day unto the present, 
man and woman united in holy wedlock have 
been the agents of God in carrying on the mar- 
velous work of propagating the human race. 
God might have adopted another plan. He 

123 



124 Wedlock Sanctified 

might have called human beings into existence 
in adult form, endowed with knowledge and 
wisdom. But He preferred to give men and 
women the high privilege of bringing man into 
the world as a child and carefully rearing him 
according to God's own wishes. What a sub- 
lime calling! But also, what a tremendous re- 
sponsibility! For that reason matrimony has 
been raised to the dignity of a sacrament, in 
order that men and women bound in this holy 
state might be supported by sacramental 
graces. 

Now if God has determined that man and 
wife shall carry on His work of creation, what 
right have they to determine the amount of 
burden that they will assume? Is there any 
justification for "race-suicide"? We have 
read in the editorials of widely-spread journals 
that it is a crime to have large families. We 
have been told that God never intended to bur- 
den woman. We have repeatedly heard the 
statement that it is left to the parents to de- 
cide the number of their offspring. But where 



Wedlock Sanctified 125 

in the Bible, in Tradition, or in the teachings 
of the Church of God can these bald statements 
find confirmation or proof?. God commanded 
the first man and woman to increase and mul- 
tiply. And every means of preventing the 
procreation of human beings, as commonly 
practiced in our day, is severely condemned in 
the Scriptures. 

What are the reasons why some people wish 
to shirk the burdens of parenthood? There 
may be many; they are all summed up in the 
one word, selfishness. Comfort is desired, re- 
lief from the many little duties attending the 
rearing of a child. Freedom is demanded in 
order that there will be no binding ties to keep 
men and women at home. They seek freedom 
to participate in the revels and orgies of mod- 
ern amusements. Wealth is sought, and con- 
sequently a small family is provided for. 
What a shame that human beings can be so 
much attached to themselves and to their own 
comforts that their hearts can find no room for 
the love of little children ! 



126 Wedlock Sanctified 

But some one will say, There are other rea- 
sons, and they are more important. What 
about a mother's health? Is it of no value? 
Certainly, her health is above all things earn- 
estly to be desired. But if a physician warns 
a woman that she is in a precarious condition, 
and that she must limit the number of her off- 
spring, what then? There is no doctor living 
who can tell with any degree of certainty what 
effects, salutary or harmful, motherhood will 
produce in the health of a woman. Medical 
men with a conscience rarely give out such ad- 
vice. If physicians really meant what they 
said in such cases, they would not, if they had 
your welfare at heart, advise limitation of off- 
spring, but would counsel absolute abstinence 
from marriage privileges. For they know 
that the infringement of the natural law will 
demand its penalty. 

But granted that sickness, weakness and 
even death may ensue, this possibility does not 
give one the right to transgress the command- 
ment of God. 



Wedlock Sanctified 127 

Let us remember that our life or our death 
is in the hands of God. Not even a sparrow 
falls from the roof without His consent. 
What then can we hope to accomplish by de- 
fying His law? We deceive ourselves into 
believing that we can determine our future 
health and well-being. Do we not know that 
God may call the flower in its fullest bloom, or 
that He may allow our tree of life to become 
firmly rooted as the mighty oak? Do we not 
realize that it is His to say whether we shall 
be struck by the lightning bolt of a sudden 
death, or whether we shall be allowed to ap- 
proach our natural end by decay and old age? 

God wills that men and women united in 
holy wedlock "increase and multiply". He 
will surely not refuse His aid, His consolation 
in the arduous task and His eternal reward at 
life's end. 

The saddest feature of the modern practice 
of limiting the number of children is that it 
makes it next to impossible for the persons con- 
cerned to receive the sacraments worthily. 



128 Wedlock Sanctified 

The sacrament of penance is received without 
sufficient contrition, for there is evidently no 
firm purpose of amendment. The sins are con- 
fessed, it is true; but can we assume that the 
penitent has the, intention of avoiding these 
sins in future? And thus sin is piled upon sin; 
sacrilege upon sacrilege. But horror of hor- 
rors! The depth of crime has not been 
reached. Like a Judas kissing his Master in 
betrayal, the perpetrators of marriage crimes 
brazenly approach the Holy Table to receive 
their God into hearts that are filled with sin. 

Birth control — where did it originate? In 
the minds of those drones of the so-called smart 
set, whose selfish hearts have no room for other 
love than that of self. But practical and gen- 
uine Catholics cannot subscribe to this criminal 
creed. Let them sanctify matrimony by con- 
scientiously fulfilling the law of the Most High. 
God's judgment day will decide who was right. 



CHAPTER XVIII 



THE BULWARK OF NATIONS 




reat changes have come over the peoples 



\JT of the world and the future may bring 
forth a revolution in living manners and com- 
mercial activities. Even our most experienced 
economists are at a loss to forecast the probable 
condition of nations after another twelve- 
month. Will the years to come bring peace 
and plenty, or will they be filled with slaughter, 
pillage and crime? Will the world again face 
a catastrophe such as the recent world-war? 
If so, what will follow? These are all ques- 
tions that men are pondering over ; but the an- 
swers to them are not forthcoming. Plainly, 
we do not know what the future holds in store 
for us. One thing is certain, the future citi- 
zens of the world will be good or bad accord- 



129 



130 The Bvlxvark of Nations 

ingly as they are reared from childhood. We 
cannot, therefore, place too much stress upon 
the need of good Christian surroundings in the 
home. For the Christian family is the bul- 
wark of nations. 

There is perhaps no greater evil among the 
numerous causes of present-day restlessness 
than the universal lack of respect for authority. 
Men have seen kings and emperors hurled 
down from their thrones in rapid succession. 
They have become accustomed to uprisings, 
sedition and revolution. And what was car- 
ried out on a large scale in various countries is 
being imitated in mines and factories, in schools 
and homes. 

Certain it is, that those who controlled the 
wealth and power of the world, abused their 
strength for their own advantage. But in the 
general upheaval that has followed in the wake 
of war, those of the protesting classes have 
likewise abused and are now abusing their new- 
found strength. 

There must be some form of government, 



The Bulwark of Nations 131 

and, consequently, some must rule and others 
must be ruled. But if government should be 
stable and lasting, those who reign must be 
obeyed; their authority, which is theirs only 
by the grace of God, must be respected. 

The need of the inculcation of this reverence 
for superiors, in earliest childhood, is at once 
apparent. 

Naturalty, the family in which God does not 
reign supreme will not rear God-fearing citi- 
zens. The practical and sincere Catholic, 
therefore, surrounds his children with a Cath- 
olic atmosphere. He goes before with the 
good example in virtue. Together man and 
wife labor in the great privilege of implanting 
in the hearts of God's little ones the love of 
obedience, truth, purity, and honesty. 

The Christian home is not without its re- 
minders of the heroes and heroines of virtue. 
The pictures of the saints, of the Blessed 
Mother and of Our Saviour give the home the 
unmistakable stamp of Christianity. 

Then, too, in the home Catholic boys and 



132 The Bulwark of Nations 

girls should learn to pray. "Give us this day 
our daily bread" is the prayer that is most 
abused by the revolutionaries of our age. They 
demand meat and drink and comforts in 
abundance. And they reject a God who will 
not supply them. They tell us, "We do not 
want a God who will give us plenty in the fu- 
ture, we want food and drink and pleasures 
right now." 

It will be necessary to teach our children to 
pray, not only for the daily sustenance, but in 
all humility to acquiesce in the will of God. 
"Thy will be done." Too often our prayers 
are selfish. Too often the granting of our 
prayers would be detrimental to our soul's wel- 
fare. The tender flowers in the garden of the 
home must, therefore, learn to grow as the 
Hand of God trains them. They must grate- 
fully receive the benediction of the Creator's 
sunshine and refreshing rain. Teach the pre- 
cious little ones to pray; but teach them joy- 
fully to submit to the will of the Father in 
heaven. 



The Bulwark of Nations 133 

But more is required to give the home the 
true Christian atmosphere. The Spirit of 
God should reign in every Catholic house. In 
order to enjoy this privilege, the language of 
the dwellers must at all times be above re- 
proach. Can we imagine anything more re- 
pugnant than the use of vile and filthy lan- 
guage in the home on the part of father, mother 
or children? Can God bless and consecrate the 
home in which His Holy Name is defiled and 
profaned? 

As I write, I return in spirit to some of the 
homes that I have entered in my labors as a 
priest. I see in the first home matrimonial 
unhappiness. Discouragement is written 
boldly on the face of man and wife. Somehow, 
they do not seem to agree, and quarrels and 
strife are the order of the day. I look for the 
reasons. There are many. But is it not pos- 
sible that through their continuous profanation 
of the Most Holy Name, God has withdrawn 
His grace and His blessing? 

I enter another dwelling and I find that the 



134 The Bulwark of Nations 

family has suffered untold misfortune. Chil- 
dren refuse obedience, curse their parents and 
even raise their hands against them. What 
can be the matter here? An old German prov- 
erb says: "The apple does not fall far from 
the branch." The curse of God rests upon 
that home. Why? Because parents have 
cursed everything about them. They have 
cursed their children ; and the latter, following 
the example of their elders, curse their parents. 
Needless to say, such homes will not bring 
forth a race of practical Catholics; but will be 
the breeding-place of anarchists and murder- 
ers. And thus, gentle reader, I might lead 
you from home to home and reveal to you the 
terrible consequence of the use of foul language 
in the home. 

One thing more that children should learn 
from earliest childhood, is that refinement 
which is pre-eminently the mark of a true Cath- 
olic. Politeness and consideration for others 
are not, necessarily, the distinction of the rich 
and cultured. They go hand in hand with 



The Bulwark of Nations 135 

practical Catholicity. For is it not one of the 
greatest commandments to "love your neighbor 
as yourself"? 

We are told that it is polite to use one's 
handkerchief when sneezing or coughing. It 
is more than politeness. It is the conscientious 
observance of the rule, "Do to others as you 
would have them do to you." We are solici- 
tous for the health of our body; we avoid con- 
tagion and infection; we take all precautions 
so as not to contract disease. But the love we 
should bear our neighbor must prompt us to 
have the same care and anxiety for his well- 
being. 

Neither do men or women of sane mind re- 
veal to the world their hidden faults. They 
bury them deep down in their hearts. Much 
less do they go about slandering and calumniat- 
ing themselves. But we should love our 
neighbor as ourselves. Our love for ourselves 
deters us from doing harm to our own good 
name. The same love must be shared with our 
fellow-men. The mantle of charity should 



136 The Bulwark of Nations 

cover his faults ; the spirit of love should extol 
his virtues. 

This genuine Catholic love is to be expected 
in Catholics of maturity. But it will not be 
found unless it has been instilled into their 
hearts when young and impressionable. 

The fate of the world lies in the hands of fa- 
thers and mothers. Was the great world-war 
with its untold sufferings and hardships, its 
cruel sacrifice of young manhood, its thousands 
and millions of weeping mothers and wives and 
pleading orphans — was this tremendous ca- 
tastrophe but a warning of God? The world 
has not grown better. Vice is flourishing as 
never before. Those countries that have suf- 
fered most have not returned to God. Their 
great cities are now more than ever hot-beds 
of sin, crime and debauchery. Will the anger 
of God burst forth in the near future with a 
more terrible punishment? Will perhaps an- 
other war be visited upon us, with all the hor- 
rors that human and diabolical ingenuity can 
devise? 



The Bulwark of Nations 137 

God grant that we may be spared a repeti- 
tion of the slaughter. But then, the world 
must change. Men must cease to defy God 
and to hurl their blasphemies against Heaven. 
We must begin at the root. We must sanctify 
the Christian home, the bulwark of nations. 



V 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE SOCIAL UNREST 

Many Americans seem to think that Bol- 
shevism is a new phenomenon of the 
ever-changing social world. The impression 
is held that this new species of anarchy and 
lawlessness was born of the Russian revolu- 
tion. Even conservative Socialists, here and 
abroad, seek to disclaim any relation to this 
beast of hell. But let us not be deceived. 
Bolshevism is not the child of Russian tyranny; 
it is not the creation of the fanatical brain of a 
Lenine or a Trotzky. It is the logical conse- 
quence of the false teachings of Socialism 
which have been widely sown in every land dur- 
ing the last fifty years. Since stringent war- 
measures checking the license of speech have 
been lifted, it is nothing uncommon to hear 

138 



The Social Unrest 



139 



soap-box orators denouncing our government 
and appealing for a bloody revolution to de- 
prive owners of mines and manufactories of 
their property. In turn they would set up the 
communist government of the soviet. 

Throughout the land we hear of riots, rapine 
and plunder, so that strong men are fearing 
for the welfare of nations. 

Any economic plan for governing nations 
that denies man the right to hold property 
justly acquired, will lead to just such lawless- 
ness that made the streets of Moscow, Petro- 
grad, Berlin and Munich flow red with blood. 
Any communistic or other system of govern- 
ment that denies the existence of God, thereby 
takes away the sanction of law and enkindles 
the fires of anarchy, which will, if not extin- 
guished or kept within the bounds of a small 
area, form a conflagration that will destroy the 
liberty, peace and happiness of the whole world. 

If we are to protect ourselves against the 
rabid onslaughts of Bolshevism, we must fight 
atheistic Socialism. 



140 



The Social Unrest 



But where does the Church stand on these 
momentous questions, upon the correct solu- 
tion of which depends the stability of nations? 
Does she champion the cause of capitalism in 
its endeavor to deny the laboring man the right 
to collective bargaining? By no means. To 
be sure, the capitalist is as much entitled to his 
property as the owner of nothing more than a 
home. He is also entitled to just gains from 
his invested capital and from the work of his 
brain. But dead buildings, machinery and in- 
vested money are not worthy of more consid- 
eration than is man, who is made to the image 
of God. 

Some manufacturers and owners of mines 
seem to harbor the false idea that the laboring 
man is much like the machine that is installed 
to produce work. To their mind it is unavoid- 
ably necessary to expend some money in keep- 
ing them going. But faith tells us that, next 
to the angels, man is the noblest creature that 
went forth from the Hands of the Creator. 
The laboring man, be he ever so grimy and 



The Social Unrest 



141 



unkempt, is made after the image of God. He 
is infinitely more worthy of consideration than 
machinery or invested capital. And the 
owner and employer has no right to large divi- 
dends and luxurious living until his employee 
is well provided for. Not only must every 
precaution be taken to safeguard his health, 
not only must he have reasonable hours of 
work, but he must be recompensed to such a 
degree that, if he is frugal, he need not suffer 
want or privation, and that when the "rainy 
day" comes he is able to meet added expense 
from his savings. 

But is the Church drifting to Socialism? 
Not at all. She proposes nothing new, but in- 
sists on justice. She takes the golden mean 
between capitalistic exploitation and socialistic 
communism. The laborer has the inalienable 
right to organize. And when all other means 
have failed, he has the right to strike. Be- 
cause strikes are a great evil and work untold 
hardship upon innocent people, they are only 
to be endorsed when all other attempts at 



142 



The Social Unrest 



securing justice have proven futile. The la- 
borer is in the wrong when he has recourse to 
sabotage and lawlessness. 

For fifty years the spirit of unrest among the 
working classes has been apparent. Never be- 
fore has it assumed such tremendous propor- 
tions as in our own day. If the anarchistic ele- 
ment among our working men should acquire 
the controlling power in the trades-unions what 
would become of the country? A combined 
steel, coal and railroad strike would paralyze 
every industry and result in great suffering, 
and, who knows, might bring upon us a cata- 
clysm not unlike the reign of terror experienced 
in the darkest days of the Russian upheaval. 

Needless to say, every sane man and woman 
among the workers or the captains of industry 
must bend every effort to avert the catastrophe. 
We must have stringent laws to put an end to 
the game of professional agitators who come 
here from foreign lands and sow the seeds of 
rebellion and sabotage. We must also have 



The Social Unrest 



143 



laws that compel owners and capitalists to pay 
their employees a just and living wage. 

Even now, after so many years of unsettled 
conditions, and in the face of impending dan- 
gers of the gravest nature, the heads of some 
of our greatest corporations are declaring un- 
equivocally against the right of labor to collec- 
tive bargaining. It cannot go on forever thus. 
The spirit of rebellion which has been fed on 
abuse and exploitation cannot longer be disre- 
garded. A solution to the labor problem must 
be found, and found at once. 

The time is ripe when the greed for gold and 
the luxuries that gold can buy, must be met 
with the stern mandate of justice and charity. 
Such fortunes of unearned wealth as were 
amassed in late years are but indications of the 
inequality of our conditions. 

The laboring man, after all, is the producer. 
A sense of justice would demand that he be 
recompensed in proportion to his labors. 
Students of sociology contend, and their opin- 



144 



The Social Unrest 



ions are endorsed by high Church authorities, 
that there never will be peace and contentment 
in the social world until the man who provides 
the brawn and muscle is given a share in the 
profits from his productions, as well as a word 
in the management of industries. 

The mediseval guilds under the protection of 
the Church championed the rights of owners as 
well as workers. To be sure, there were no 
men of the fabulous wealth of to-day; neither 
was there pauperism. And unless the counsel 
of the Church is followed in our own times ; un- 
less her strict demands of justice are complied 
with — we shall seek in vain for the talisman 
that will bring about a satisfactory solution of 
the social problem. 



CHAPTER XX 



PRAYER 



hat is the use of praying? Surely, 



V V God knows what is good for us; He 
knows our weaknesses and our strength. Why 
should it be necessary to lay our wants before 
Him? St. Thomas replies: "God gives us 
many things out of His liberality without our 
asking; but some things He wills to give us 
only on condition of our asking; which ar- 
rangement works to our advantage, teaching 
us to have recourse to God with confidence, and 
to recognize Him as the Author of our good." 

The modern world ridicules praying as a 
foolish superstition, to be tolerated in women 
and children but to be severely condemned in 
men. But the truth is, that prayer is a most 
glorious privilege of man. Either we assume 




145 



146 Prayer 

that there is an eternal God, Creator of the 
universe, who rules our destinies, or there is no 
God. The latter is an absurdity. For the 
fragrance of the flowers that grow in my gar- 
den, the luminous sentinels in the heavens, the 
roaring rivers, and sighing oceans, loudly pro- 
claim the existence of the Creator who called 
them into being. Only an absurd logic, that 
fails to see the relation between cause and ef- 
fect, can deny God. 

If there is a God and our existence is depend- 
ent upon His will; if our God is wealthy be- 
yond all calculation, in the things that make 
for our temporal and eternal happiness — why 
should it be unreasonable to apply to Him for 
His blessing? And have we not His assur- 
ance, "Ask, and it shall be given to you" ? Re- 
peatedly we read in the Holy Scriptures that 
it is the will of God that we should pray. We 
find that He commanded His apostles to pray 
lest they fall into temptation. And it was the 
custom of Our Saviour to ascend the mountain 
after the day's labors to spend some time in 



Prayer 147 

prayerful communion with His Father. He 
Himself taught us to pray; how then can any 
one reject prayer as a superstition? 

Have you ever tried to gauge the caliber of 
those who ridicule prayer? They may be di- 
vided into three classes, viz. : fools, the proud, 
and criminals. Fools laugh at prayer simply 
because they are fools. The proud disdain our 
devotions because they are so puffed up with 
vanity and conceit that they believe themselves 
self-sufficient. Criminals, in the widest sense 
of the word, those who delight in breaking the 
law of God and man, do not pray because 
prayer does not fit into their mode of life. 

Our prayers frequently ascend to God with 
the request for some temporal good. Are such 
prayers becoming? St. Augustine says : "He 
not unbecomingly wishes for a competence in 
life, who wishes for that and no more. Such 
a competence is not desired for its own sake, 
but for the health of the body and the decent 
personal condition of the man, that he may not 
be out of place in the society in which he has to 



148 Prayer 

live. When such a competence is attained, we 
should pray to keep it ; when we have it not, we 
should pray to get it." There can be no doubt 
about the worthiness of the prayer that im- 
plores God for daily bread and for protection 
in sickness and danger. Only then our prayer 
becomes unworthy when we make the temporal 
goods the prime object of our desire, and aim 
no higher in our appeals to God. Thus St. 
Thomas says: "When our mind attends to 
temporal things in order to set up its rest in 
them, there it lies low abased; but when it at- 
tends to such things in view of gaining that 
which is final happiness, it is not abased by 
them but rather raised on high." 

But some one will say, often have I prayed 
and prayed in vain; my petitions were not 
heard. This may be due to either of two rea- 
sons. God may demand a more earnest and 
persevering prayer; or the thing for which we 
ask is not conducive to our eternal welfare. It 
stands to reason that God, whose omniscience 
clearly sees the future, knows what will be for 



Prayer 149 

our eternal happiness, as well as the things that 
would impede us on our journey homeward. 
In mercy and kindness He cannot grant that 
which will be the source of future sins and per- 
haps lead to our eternal damnation. He is 
the Physician of the soul. If the patient were 
to prescribe the remedies for his own ailments, 
he would probably choose the medicines agree- 
able to the taste and smell. The result might 
be his death. 

We should pray, therefore, with full con- 
formity of our will to the Will of God. Our 
prayer will then be productive of merit, and 
whether we see the fruits of our prayer or not, 
we may rest assured that God has stored up 
abundant riches for us. If there will be any- 
thing to laugh about in heaven, I imagine it 
will be the things that worried us when on 
earth. How small and trifling our temporal 
wants will then seem when compared to the 
wealth, the magnificence, the grandeur that 
will be ours in heaven! 

But perhaps you think that there is no use 



150 Prayer 

for the sinner to pray. He is an enemy of 
God, who has lost his right to heaven, and con- 
sequently God will turn a deaf ear to his ap- 
peals. No, indeed, the sinner is not deprived 
of the great privilege of speaking to God in 
prayer. True, his sin is hated by God, but 
he is made to the image of God and is 
loved by Him. St. Thomas says that the 
prayer of the sinner is heard by God, not out of 
justice, but out of mercy. Behold the beau- 
tiful example of a sinner's prayer in the peti- 
tion of the "good thief" on the cross. Scarcely 
was the prayer uttered, when the mercy of the 
Redeemer rewarded it with a promise of ever- 
lasting bliss. 

One of the reasons for many unheard pray- 
ers is, no doubt, the frivolity and lack of sin- 
cerity with which these prayers often pass over 
our lips. A hundred and one distractions oc- 
cupy our mind; and our prayer is said more 
from force of habit than from any earnest de- 
sire to receive that for which we ask. How 
can such prayers be heard? They sometimes 



Prayer 151 

are sinful acts inasmuch as they make light of 
the privilege to pray, and offer God the affront 
of impiety. 

Never in the history of the world has the 
blessing and good will of God been needed 
more to preserve the perpetuity of nations. 
Not one government is secure, and a twelve- 
month may bring about a revolution in the 
most stable of governments. Men and 
women, fired by the ardor of patriotism, have 
sought far and wide for remedies to settle the 
turbulent conditions in social and commercial 
life. They have appealed to the brains and 
brawn of their respective countries, and, it 
seems, no satisfactory solution to our world 
problems is being found. What about ap- 
pealing to God? We have relied too much 
upon our own strength and capabilities. 
Have we forgotten that God rules the world 
and that "no hair of our head is bent except 
by His consent"? 

Therefore, down on your knees, America! 
Down on your knees, ye nations of the world, 



152 Prayer 

and lift up your hands and your hearts in 
prayer. He who has mapped out the course 
of the stars and planets ; who gave the ocean its 
boundaries; who spoke the word of omnipo- 
tence that gave us being — He is still the Ruler 
of the world. Kings and queens, emperors 
and presidents must bow in submission to His 
will. 

At no time in the history of the world was 
prayer more neglected; at no time was it as in- 
dispensable for the universal good. 



CHAPTER XXI 



THE FOURTH R, 

Education has been humorously referred 
to as "the three R's, Readin', Ritin', and 
'Rithmetic." But what about the fourth R — 
Religion? I imagine that ten hundred thou- 
sand voices would be raised in violent protest 
if our educators should decide to drop mathe- 
matics from the curriculum of our schools. 
How would the world get on with a genera- 
tion unfamiliar with the multiplication tables 
and the rules for division, subtraction and ad- 
dition? Can we imagine the confusion that 
would reign among merchants and customers? 
Why it is simply absurd to think of such a con- 
tingency. And yet mathematics plays a very 
small role in the destiny of man. Were we to 
live upon earth a thousand years, and were the 

153 



154 The Fourth R 



accumulation of wealth the main object of our 
existence, then indeed mathematics might be 
of prime importance. But our life upon earth 
is as a moment compared to the eternity for 
which we have been created. 

Man goes forth from the creative hand of 
God, as a being to whom a few years of earthly 
existence are allotted in order that he may 
merit the eternal reward of the vision of God. 
The attainment of this end is in a large meas- 
ure dependent upon his own endeavors. Spell- 
ing will not help him, neither will writing nor 
arithmetic. Yes, even if he has mastered the 
deepest tracts of science and philosophy, if he 
has not served his God he will be a failure, he 
will not attain his end. 

Religion teaches man his object in life; it 
equips him with the means of gaining that for 
which he has been made. How then can any 
system of education be complete or sufficient, 
which fails to instruct the young in the most 
vital knowledge for the attainment of success? 

It is idle for teachers and instructors to ha- 



The Fourth B 155 



rangue their pupils on the formation of charac- 
ter and on the need of honesty, purity, and 
justice. What meaning do these words con- 
vey to those who hear nothing of God and His 
commandments? Human nature is not in- 
clined to honesty, purity, and justice. Left 
to itself, it is much like the nature of the beast. 
Words can not affect it if there is no sanction 
behind those words. 

For this reason conscientious educators have 
recognized the fallacy of our popular educa- 
tional system. And from many sides we hear 
the demand for religious instruction as an im- 
portant branch of education. 

Our much-maligned parochial schools alone 
have the right idea as to the proper method of 
preparing our youth for life. Here, religion 
is not looked upon as something optional and 
non-essential. It is considered the first and 
foremost foundation of true education. When 
you have taught the child the existence of an 
All-holy God who rewards virtue and pun- 
ishes sin, then you may talk of purity, honesty 



156 



The Fourth R 



and justice. And these words will convey 
something tangible. When you have laid the 
foundation of morality, the Ten Command- 
ments, you can build character. 

Ask the boy or girl who has graduated from 
High School, "Why have you been created?" 
and in ninety cases out of a hundred they will 
not be able to answer. Do you call that educa- 
tion which neglects to inform the child of the 
very object of its existence? We should be 
amazed and shocked if our graduates were un- 
able to read or write; but we look on with 
complacency when the same boy or girl is un- 
familiar with knowledge of far greater im- 
portance. 

No reasonable man, be he Catholic, Protest- 
ant, or Jew, can take offense at the work of the 
parochial schools. Indeed, were he sincere in 
his endeavor to obtain the best education for 
the youth of the land, he would be compelled to 
endorse the parochial schools and hold them 
up for the admiration and emulation of the 
whole nation. 



The Fourth B 157, 

Let it not be gleaned from this, that paro- 
chial schools teach religion to the detriment of 
other branches of education. The children of 
our schools have stood every test; they have 
come out victorious in competitive trials; they 
have demonstrated that in spite of the fourth R 
they are undeniably well acquainted with the 
usual three li's. 

And this is not to be wondered at. The sis- 
ters and brothers that teach in our schools are 
not the products of slip -shod methods of educa- 
tion. The great majority have been equipped 
similarly to our normal school graduates. Not 
a few have earned university degrees. Every 
summer you will find hundreds and thousands 
of nuns attending colleges and schools to bet- 
ter fit themselves for their life's work, the edu- 
cation of the young. 

With them it is not a matter of dollars and 
cents. Not one of them receives one half the 
remuneration of the poorest -paid public- 
school teacher. It is the love of God and love 
for immortal souls that fires their breasts and 



158 The Fourth R 



compels them to bring most heroic sacrifices 
in order to fashion young hearts as God would 
have them. 

Actuated by the sublimest of motives, having 
constantly before their eyes the high destiny of 
man, schooled in the most modern methods of 
education, our sisters in the parochial schools 
have a system of education second to none. 

No nation has been able to remain prosper- 
ous and enduring without morality. Just as 
soon as the people plunge themselves into vice 
and sin, the nation's death-knell is sounded. 
Eut where is the power that can stem the tide 
of vice and corruption that threatens to engulf 
our Ship of State? Will our children who 
grow up without the knowledge of God and of 
their own sublime destiny be able to save the 
nation from disintegration, or will they add 
fuel to the flame that menaces our national 
structure ? 

Secret societies, even Christian associations, 
have planned and plotted against the parochial 
school. Their efforts are directed against na- 



The Fourth B 159 



tional prosperity and stability. To-day ap- 
proximately two million children in the United 
States are attending parochial schools. They 
are being educated to fear God, to love their 
country, to obey the laws, and to respect author- 
ity. Close the parochial schools and you tear 
down one of the mainstays of our nation. For 
the child that does not learn to obey the com- 
mandments of God, will not obey the laws of 
the land. The child that is taught only to earn 
its bread and butter will shun sacrifice, will be 
disrespectful to lawful authority — the product 
of an education that ignores the very object of 
the child's existence, eternal companionship 
with God. 



CHAPTER XXII 



THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL 

Have you ever been on board an ocean- 
liner during a severe storm at sea? 
How frightened and nervous every one seemed 
to be. Or have you ever had the experience 
of being in a crowded hall or theater when, of 
a sudden, the cry of "Fire" was heard? How 
frenzied the people became, and, left to their 
own resources, rushed to the nearest exit, re- 
gardless of those in their path. 

Well, a storm is raging to-day, not only in 
one locality, but the world over. Like a 
mighty tempest that uproots trees and tears 
down houses, that scatters destruction far and 
near, is the wave of discontent and lawlessness 
that is sweeping over the earth. We have long 
heard the distant rumblings of the threatened 

160 



The Greatest Leader of All 161 

storm. It is now on in full fury. And the 
end is not in sight. Some one has shouted 
"Fire," and the people are rushing madly to 
and fro, tearing at each other and trampling 
upon each other in the mad attempt to gain 
they know not what. 

When a tempest rages at sea, when the waves 
sweep the deck of a ship and threaten to de- 
molish its huge bulk, the calm demeanor of the 
captain, who quickly and authoritatively gives 
commands to right and left, reassures the pas- 
sengers and loss of life is prevented. 

In the theater or in the auditorium when the 
call of "Fire" is heard, one person who can 
command the situation and calmly give direc- 
tions, will save the lives of all. 

And so also in our turbulent times there is 
one to whom disaster, revolution, war and de- 
struction are nothing new. She has witnessed 
the rise and fall of empires, the coming and go- 
ing of nations, and she has always been an in- 
fallible guide to those in distress. This great- 
est of all leaders is the Church of God, the 



162 The Greatest Leader of All 

Roman Catholic Church. She is not of the 
world, but she is for the world. Founded by 
God, and confirmed with the promise of per- 
petuity, she is not a guide that lives to-day and 
disappears to-morrow. Even her greatest en- 
emies acknowledge the firmness and stability 
of her organization, although in our days noth- 
ing seems to be firm or stable. 

Thanks to her leadership the Christian world 
has abolished slavery. Owing to her demands 
the condition of woman has been ameliorated, 
inasmuch as woman, who in pagan times was 
no more than the toy of her master, is now the 
queen of the home and respected by all. It 
was the Catholic Church that opened the first 
orphan asylum and homes for the poor and in- 
firm. She is the Mother of learning and 
knowledge. For the greatest European uni- 
versities are children of her solicitude and care, 
although they have proven disloyal to their 
mother. 

In the Middle Ages there was no question 
of dissatisfaction among working people. 



The Greatest Leader of All 163 

Neither were the owners of mines and the means 
of production able to amass fabulous sums of 
unearned wealth. For the Church was the 
patron of capital and labor, and under her pro- 
tection both thrived and lived in harmony. 

But can she heal the wounds of society to- 
day? Most assuredly she can. For, after all, 
what is the main ailment afflicting the world? 
Is it not the lack of religion? We are told that 
persons suffering from anaemia neither can be 
cured by medicines nor by treatments unless a 
healthy and sufficient flow of blood can be re- 
stored to the body. That is exactly the ailment 
of society. It is anaemic ; religion is want- 
ing. And we may apply plasters and oint- 
ments and deal out great doses of medicine — 
all will be futile unless we can restore the life- 
sustaining element of religion. 

Therefore, the Catholic Church, the great 
leader, calls upon the nations to return to God 
and to His Holy Religion. The Most Rev. 
Patrick J. Hayes, D.D., in a letter to the peo- 
ple of New York, calls upon his flock to pray 



164 The Greatest Leader of All 

and do penance in order that peace and stabil- 
ity may be restored. What the brilliant Arch- 
bishop asked of the people of New York, is but 
that which the Church asks of the people of the 
whole world. 

God tells us through the prophetic words of 
Simeon, and history has verified the fact, that 
Christ "is set for the fall and resurrection of 
many." When the nations remained faithful 
to Him, they flourished and triumphed; and 
when they rejected Him, they were hurled 
down into the dust. 

Let the nations, therefore, turn their eyes to 
God in their distress and tribulation. Let 
them disclaim the false leaders who have filled 
their libraries with books of atheism and radi- 
calism and their hearts with passion and in- 
fidelity. Let them reject the false prophets 
who have sought to tear down God's Church 
and substitute a church erected by their own 
hands. In a word, let the nations of the world 
fulfill the prophecy of one shepherd and one 
sheepfold. 



The Greatest Leader of All 165 

The Catholic Church is not a blind leader. 
She does not rely upon the sagacity and intel- 
ligence of her bishops and priests. But she de- 
pends solely upon the assistance of God, the 
protection of the Holy Spirit. This assistance 
and protection has been assured her by God 
Himself. 

Another hundred years, and the modern re- 
ligions, if they still exist, will not dare call 
themselves Christian. For at the present rate 
of disintegration, there will be very little, if 
anything, left to them of the faith preached by 
Christ. 

But after one hundred years, the Catholic 
Church will be the same as she is to-day, the 
same as she was at the time of the Reforma- 
tion, the same as when the apostles preached 
the first sermons, unchanged and unchangeable, 
the greatest Leader of all. 



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m. THEOLOGY, LITURGY, HOLY SCRIPTURE, PHILOSOPHY, 
SCIENCE, CANON LAW 



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net, $1.50. 

OUTLINES OF DOGMATIC THEOL- 
OGY. Hunter, S.J. 3 vols., net, $7.50. 

OUTLINES OF JEWISH HISTORY, 
FROM ABRAHAM TO OUR LORD. 
Gigot. net, U$2.75. 

OUTLINES OF NEW TESTAMENT 
HISTORY. Gigot. net, W2.75. 

PASTORAL THEOLOGY. Stang. net, 

1F$2.2 S . 

PENAL LEGISLATION IN THE NEW 
CODE OF CANON LAW. Ayrinhac, 
S.S. net, $3.00. 

PHILOSOPHIA MORALE, DE. Russo, 
S.J. Half leather, net, $2.75. 

PREPARATION FOR MARRIAGE. 
McHugh, O.P. net, $0.60. 

PRAXIS SYNOD AL1S. Manuale Sy- 
nodi Diocesanae ac Provincialis Cele- 
brant! a;, net, $1.00. 

QUESTIONS OF MORAL THEOLOGY. 
Slater, S.J. net, $3.00. 

RITUALE COMPENDIOSUM. Cloth, 
net, $1.25; seal, net, $2.00. 

SANCTUARY BOYS' ILLUSTRATED 
MANUAL. McCallen, S.S. net, 
f$i.oo. 

SHORT HISTORY OF MORAL THE- 
OLOGY. Slater, S.J. net, $0.75. 

SPECIAL INTRODUCTION TO THE 
STUDY OF THE OLD TESTA- 
MENT. Gigot. Part I. net, H$2.75- 
Part H, net, Ufe 2 S- 

SPIRAGO'S METHOD CF CHRIS- 
TIAN DOCTRINE. Messmer. net, 

TEXTUAL CONCORDANCE OF THE 
HOLY SCRIPTURES. Williams. 

WHAT 5 'CATH0LICS HAVE DONE 
FOR SCIENCE. Brennan. net, 
$1.50. 



IV. SERMONS 



CHRISTIAN MYSTERIES. Bono- 

melli, D.D.-Byrne. 4 vols., net, $9.00. 
EIGHT-MINUTE SERMONS. De- 

mouy. 2 vols., net, $4.00. 
HOMILIES ON THE COMMON OF 

SAINTS. BoNO?rELLi Byrne. 2 vols., 

net, $4.50. 



HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES AND 
GOSPELS. Bonomelli-Byrne. 4 vols., 

net, $9.00. 

MASTER'S WORD, THE, IN THE 
EPISTLES AND GOSPELS. Flynn. 

2 vols., net, $4.00. 



OUTLINES OF SERMONS FOR 
YOUNG MEN AND • YOUNG 
WOMEN. Schuen-Wirth. net,$z.so. 

POPULAR SERMONS ON THE CAT- 
ECHISM. Bamberg-Thurston, SJ. 
3 vols., net, $8.30. 

PULPIT SKETCHES. Lambert, net, 
$2.25. 

SERMONS. Canon Sheehan. net, 

SERMONS FOR CHILDREN'S 
MASSES. Frasstnetti-Lings. net, 

SERMONS FOR THE SUNDAYS 
AND CHIEF FESTIVALS OF THE 
ECCLESIASTICAL YEAR. Pott- 
ceisser, SJ. 2 vols., net, $5.00. 

SERMONS ON OUR BLESSED LADY. 
Ft.ynn. net, $2. so. 

SERMONS ON THE BLESSED SAC- 



RAMENT. Scheurer-Lasance. net, 
$2.50. 

SERMONS ON THE CHIEF CHRIS- 
TIAN VIRTUES. Hunolt-Wirih 
net, $2.75. 

SERMONS ON THE DUTIES OF 
CHRISTIANS. Hunolt-Wirth. 
net, $2.75. 

SERMONS ON THE FOUR LAST 
THFNGS. Hunolt-Wirth. net, $2.7 ",. 

SERMONS ON THE SEVEN DEADLY 
SINS. Hunolt-Wirth. net, $2.73. 

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THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 
Hunolt-Wirth. net, $2.75. 

SERMONS ON THE MASS, THE SAC- 
RAMENTS AND THE SACRA- 
MENTALS. Flynn. net,$2.7$- 

SHORT SERMONS FOR LOW 
MASSES. Schouppe.S.J. ^,$2.25. 



V. HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, HAGIOLOGY, TRAVEL 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ST. IGNA- 
TIUS LOYOLA. O'Connor, S.J. 
net, $1.75. 

BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY. 
Shahan. net, $3-00. 

CAMILLUS DE LELLIS. By a 
Sister of Mercy, net, $1.75. 

CHILD'S LIFE OF ST. JOAN OF 
ARC. Mannix. net, Si. 50. 

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF 
THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL SYS- 
TEM IN THE UNITED STATES. 
Burns, C.S.C. net, $2.50. 

HISTORY OF ECONOMICS. Dewe. 
net, $2.00. 

HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC 
CHURCH. Brueck. 2 vols., net, 

HIs¥oRY OF THE CATHOLIC 
CHURCH. Businger-Brennan. net, 

HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC 

CHURCH. Businger-Brennan. 

net, %o.7S- 
HISTORY OF THE PROTESTANT 

REFORMATION. Cobbett-Gas- 

quet. net, $1.25. 
HISTORY OF THE MASS. O'Brien. 

net, $2.00. 

HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH IN 

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 

Kempf, S.J. net, $2.75. 
LFFE OF ST. MARGARET MARY 

ALACOQUE. Illustrated. Bougaud. 

net, $2.75. 

LIFE OF CHRIST. Businger-Bren- 
nan. Illustrated. Half morocco, gilt 
edges, net, $1.5.00. 

LIFE OF CHRIST. Illustrated. Bus- 
inger-Mullett. net, $3-50. 



LIFE OF CHRIST. Cochem. net, 
$1.25. 

LIFE OF ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA. 

Genelli, SJ. net, $1.25. 
LIFE OF MADEMOISELLE LE 

GRAS. net, $1.25. 
LIFE OF POPE PIUS X. Illustrated. 

net, $3.50. 

LIFE OF SISTER ANNE KATHAR- 
INE EMMERICH. McGowan, 
O.S.A. net, $2.50. 

LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 
Rohner. net, $1.25. 

LITTLE LIVES OF THE SAINTS 
FOR CHILDREN. Berthold. net, 
$1.25. 

LITTLE PICTORIAL LIVES OF THE 
SAINTS. With 400 illustrations. 
net, $2.00. 

LIVES OF THE SAINTS. Butler. 
net, $1.25. 

LOURDES. Clarke, SJ. net, $1.25. 

MARY THE QUEEN. By a Relig- 
ious, net, $0.75. 

MIDDLE AGES, THE. Shahan. net, 
$3 -co. 

NAMES THAT LIVE IN CATHOLIC 

HEARTS. Sadlier. net, $1.25. 
OUR OWN ST. RITA. Corcoran, 

O.S.A. net, $1.50. 
PATRON SAINTS FOR CATHOLIC 

YOUTH. Mannix. 3 vols. Each, 

net, $1.25. 

PICTORIAL LIVES OF THE SAINTS. 

With nearly 400 illustrations and over 

600 pages, net, $5.00. 
POPULAR LIFE OF ST. TERESA. 

L'abbe Joseph, net, $1.25. 



PRINCIPLES ORIGIN AND ES- 
TABLISHMENT OF THE CATH- 
OLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE 
UNITED STATES. Burns, C.S.C. 
net, $2.50. 

RAMBLES IN CATHOLIC LANDS. 
Barrett, O.S.B. Illustrated, net, 

$3-5°- 

ROMA. Pagan Subterranean and Mod- 
ern Rome in Word and Picture. By 
Rev. Albert Kuhn, O.S.B., D.D. 
Preface by Cardinal Gibbons. 617 
pages. 744 Illustrations. 48 full-page 
inserts, 3 plans of Rome in colors. 
8| x 12 inches. Red im. leather, gold 
side, net, $1 5.00. 

ROMAN CURIA AS IT NOW EXISTS. 
Martin, S.J. net, $2.50. 

ST. ANTHONY. Ward, net, $1.25. 



ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI. Dubois, 
S.M. net, $1.25. 

ST. JOAN OF ARC. Lynch, S.J. Illus- 
trated, net, $2.75. 

SAINTS AND PLACES. By 
John Ayscough. Illustrated, net, 

SHORT LIVES OF THE SAINTS. 

Donnelly, net, $0.90. 

STORY OF JESUS SIMPLY TOLD 
FOR THE YOUNG, THE. Mul- 
holland. net, $1.00. 

STORY OF THE DIVINE CHILD. 
Told for Children. Ltngs. net, $0.75. 

STORY OF THE ACTS OF THE 
APOSTLES. Lynch, S.J. Illus- 
trated, net, $2.75. 

WOMEN OF CATHOLICITY. Sad- 
leer, net, $1.25. 



VL JUVENILES 



FATHER FINN'S BOOKS. 

Each, net, $1.50. 
FACING DANGER. 
HIS LUCKIEST YEAR. A Sequel to 

" Lucky Bob." 
LUCKY BOB. 

PERCY WYNN; OR, MAKING A 

BOY OF HIM. 
TOM PLAYFALR; OR, MAKING A 

START. 

CLAUDE LIGHTFOOT; OR. HOW 
THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. 

HARRY DEE; OR, WORKING IT 
OUT. 

ETHELRED PRESTON; OR, THE 
ADVENTURES OF A NEW- 
COMER. 

THE BEST FOOT FORWARD; 
AND OTHER STORIES. 

CUPID OF CAMPION. 

THAT FOOTBALL GAME, AND 
WHAT CAME OF IT. 

THE FAIRY OF THE SNOWS. 

THAT OFFICE BOY. 

HIS FIRST AND LAST APPEAR- 
ANCE. 

MOSTLY BOYS. SHORT STORIES. 

FATHER SPALDING'S BOOKS. 
Each, net, $1.50. 
HELD IN THE EVERGLADES. 
AT THE FOOT OF THE SAND- 
HILLS. 

THE CAVE BY THE BEECH 
FORK. 

THE SHERIFF OF THE BEECH 
FORK. 

THE CAMP BY COPPER RIVER. 
THE RACE FOR COPPER 
ISLAND. 



THE MARKS OF THE BEAR 

CLAWS. 

THE OLD MILL ON THE WITH- 

ROSE. 

THE SUGAR CAMP AND AFTER. 

ADVENTURE WITH THE APACHES. 

Ferry, net, $0.75. 
ALTHEA. Nlrdltnger. net, $1.00. 
AS GOLD IN THE FURNACE. 

Copus, S.J. net, $1.50. 
AS TRUE AS GOLD. Mannlx. net, 

AT THE FOOT OF THE SAND- 
HILLS. Spalding, S.J. net, $1.50. 
BELL FOUNDRY. Schachinc, net, 

BERKLEYS, THE. Wight. net, 

$o.75. 

BEST FOOT FORWARD, THE. Finn, 

S.J. net, $1.50. 
BETWEEN FRIENDS. Aumerle. 

net, $1.00. 
BISTOURI. Melandri. net, $0.75. 
BLISSYLVANLA POST-OFFICE. 
X Taggart. net, S0.75. 
BOBOLINK. Waggaman. net, $0.75. 
BROWNIE AND I. Aumerle. net, 

Si.oa 

BUNT AND BILL. Mulholland. 

net-, $0.75. 

BY BRANSCOME RIVER. Taggart. 

net, $0.75. 

CAMP BY COPPER RIVER. Spald- 
ing, S.J. net, $1.50. 

CAPTAIN TED. Waggaman. net, 
$1.00. 

CAVE BY THE BEECH FORK. 

Spalding, S.J. net, $1.50. 
CHARLIE CHITTYWICK. Bearne, 

S.J. net, $1.50. 



3 



CHILDREN OF CUPA. Mannix. net, 
$0.75. 

CHILDREN OF THE LOG CABIN. 

Delamare. net, $1.00. 
CLARE LORAINE. "Lee." net, 

CLAUDE LIGHTFOOT. Finn, SJ. 
net, $1.50. 

CUPA REVISITED. Mannix. net, 

CUPID OF CAMPION. Finn, SJ. 
net, $1.50. 

DADDY DAN. Waggaman. net, 
§0.75. 

DEAR FRIENDS. Nirdlinger. net, 
$1.00. 

DIMPLING'S SUCCESS. Mulhoi> 

land, net, $0.75. 
ETHELRED PRESTON. Finn, SJ. 

net, $1.50. 

EVERY-DAY GIRL, AN. Crowley. 
net, $0.75. 

FACING DANGER. Finn, S J. net, 
$1.50- 

FAIRY OF THE SNOWS. Finn, S J. 
net, $1.50. 

FINDING OF TONY. Waggaman. 
net, $1.50. 

FIVE BIRDS IN A NEST. Delamare. 
net, $1.00. 

FIVE O'CLOCK STORIES. By a 

Religious, net, $1.00. 
FLOWER OF THE FLOCK. Egan. 

net, $1.50. 

FOR THE WHITE ROSE. Hinkson. 
net, $0.75. 

FRED'S LITTLE DAUGHTER. 

Smith, net, $0.75. 
FREDDY CARR'S ADVENTURES. 

Garrold, SJ. net, $1.00. 
FREDDY CARR AND HIS FRIENDS. 

Garrold, SJ. net, $1.00. 
GOLDEN LILY, THE. Hinkson. net, 

$0.75. 

GREAT CAPTAIN, THE. Hinkson. 
net, $0.75. 

HALDEMAN CHILDREN, THE. 

Mannix. net, $0.75. 
HARMONY FLATS. Whttmire. net, 

$1.00. 

HARRY DEE. Finn, SJ. net, $1.50. 
HARRY RUSSELL. Copus, SJ. net, 

HEIR OF DREAMS, AN. O'Malley. 
net, $0.75. 

HELD IN THE EVERGLADES. 
Spalding, SJ. net, $1.50. 

HIS FIRST AND LAST APPEAR- 
ANCE. Finn, SJ. net, $1.50. 

HIS LUCKIEST YEAR. Finn, SJ. 
net, $1.30. 

HOSTAGE OF WAR, A. Bonesteel. 
net, $0.75. 



HOW THEY WORKED THEIR WAY. 
Egan. net, $1.00. 

IN QUEST OF ADVENTURE. Man- 
nix. net, $0.75. 

IN QUEST OF THE GOLDEN 
CHEST. Barton, net, $1.00. 

JACK. By a Religious, H.CJ. net, 

JAc'k-O'LANTERN. Waggaman. 
net, $0.75. 

JACK HILDRETH ON THE NILE. 

Taggart. net, $1.00. 
JUNIOR'S OF ST. BEDE'S. Bryson. 

net, $1.00. 

JUVENILE ROUND TABLE. First 

Series, net, $1.50. 
JUVENILE ROUND TABLE. Second 

Series, net, $1.^0. 
KLONDIKE PICNIC, A. Donnelly. 

net, $1.00. 

LEGENDS AND STORIES OF THE 
HOLY CHILD JESUS. Lutz. net, 
$1.00. 

LITTLE APOSTLE ON CRUTCHES. 

Delamare. net $0.75. 
LITTLE GIRL FROM BACK EAST. 

Roberts, net, $0.75. 
LITTLE LADY OF THE HALL. 

Ryejvian. net, $0.75. 
LITTLE MARSHALLS AT THE 

LAKE. Nixon-Rotjlet. net, $1.00. 
LITTLE MISSY. Waggaman. net, 

$0.75. 

LOYAL BLUE AND ROYAL SCAR. 

LET. Taggart. net, $1.50. 
LUCKY BOB. Finn, S J. net,%i,%o. 
MADCAP SET AT ST.vANNE'S. Bru- 

nowe. net, $0.75. 
MAD KNIGHT, THE. Schachinc 

net, $0.75. 

MAKING OF MORTLAKE. Copus, 

SJ. net, $1.50. 
MAN FROM NOWHERE. Sadlier. 

net, $1.50. 

MARKS OF THE BEAR CLAWS. 
Spalding, SJ. net, $1.50. 

MARY TRACY'S FORTUNE. Sad- 
lier. net, $0.75. 

MELOR OF THE SILVER HAND. 
Bearne, SJ. net, $1.50. 

MILLY AVELING. Smith. «e/,$i.oo. 

MIRALDA. Johnson, net, $0.75. 

MORE FIVE O'CLOCK STORIES. 
By a Religious, net, $1.00. 

MOSTLY BOYS. Finn, S J. net, $1.50. 

MYSTERIOUS DOORWAY. Sadlier. 
net, $0.75. 

MYSTERY OF HORNBY HALL. 

Sadlier. net, $1.00. 
MYSTERY OF CLEVERLY. Barton. 

net, $1.00. 

NAN NOBODY. Waggaman. net, 
$0.75. 



NED RIEDER. Wehs. net, $1.00. 
NEW SCHOLAR AT ST. ANNE'S. 

Brtotowe. net, $1.00. 
OLD CHARLMONT'S SEED-BED. 

Smith, net, $0.75. 
OLD MILL ON THE WITHROSE. 

Spalding, S.J. net, $1.50. 
ON THE OLD CAMPING GROUND. 

Manntx. net, $1.50. 
OUR LADY'S LUTENIST. Bearne, 

S.T. net, $1.50. 
PANCHO AND PANCHITA. Man- 

nix. net, $0.75. 
PAULINE ARCHER. Sadlier. net, 

PERCY WYNN. Finn, S.J. weJ.S1.50. 
PERIL OF DIONYSIO. Mannlk, 
net, $0.71;. 

PETRONILLA. Donnelly. net, 
$1.00. 

PICKLE AND PEPPER. Dorsey. 
net, $1.50. 

PLLGRIM FROM IRELAND. Car- 
not. net, $0.75. 

PLAYWATER PLOT, THE. Wagga- 
man. net, $1.00. 

POLLY DAY'S ISLAND. Roberts. 
net, $1.50. 

POVERINA. Buckenham. net, $1.00. 
QUEEN'S PAGE, THE. Hinkson. net, 
$0.75. 

QUEEN'S PROMISE, THE. Wagga- 
man. net, Si. 00. 

QUEST OF MARY SELWYN. Clem- 
entia. net, $1.50. 

RACE FOR COPPER ISLAND. Spald- 
ing, S.J. net, $1.50. 

RECRUIT TOMMY COLLINS. 
Bonesteel. net, $0.75. 

RIDINGDALE FLOWER SHOW. 
Bearne. S.J. net, $1.50. 

ROMANCE OF THE SILVER SHOON. 
Bearne S.J. net, $1.50. 

ST. CUTHBERT'S. Copus, S.J. net, 
$1.50. 

SANDY JOE. Waggaman. net, 
$1.50. 

SEA-GULL'S ROCK. Sandeau. net, 
$0.75. 



SEVEN LITTLE MARSHALLS. 

Nixon-Roulet. net, $0.75. 
SHADOWS LLFTED. Copus, S.J. 

net, $1.50. 

SHEER PLUCK. Bearne, S.J. net, 

SHERIFF OF THE BEECH FORK. 
Spalding, S.J. net, $1.50. 

SHIPMATES. Waggaman. net, $1.00. 

SUGAR CAMP AND AFTER. Spald- 
ing, S.J. net, $1.50. 

SUMMER AT WGODVILLE. Sad- 
lier. net, $0.75. 

TALES AND LEGENDS OF THE 
MIDDLE AGES, de Capella. net, 
$1 .00. 

TALISMAN, THE. Sadlier. net, 

Sx.oo. 

TAMING OF POLLY. Dorsey. net, 

THATFOOTBALL GAME. Finn, S.J. 

net, Si. so. 

THAT OFFICE BOY. Finn, S.J. net, 
$1.50. 

THREE LITTLE GIRLS AND ESPE- 
CIALLY ONE. Taggart. »e/,$o.7s. 
TOLD IN THE TWILIGHT. Salome. 

net, $1.00. 

TOM LOSELY; BOY. Copus, S.J. 

net, $1.50. 

TOM PL A YF AIR. Finn, S.J. net, 

Si. 5°. 

TOM'S LUCK-POT. Waggaman. net, 

TOORALLADDY. Walsh, net, $0.75. 

TRANSPLANTING OF TESSIE. 
Waggaman. net, $1.00. 

TREASURE OF NUGGET MOUN- 
TAIN. Taggart. net, $1.00. 

TWO LITTLE GIRLS. Mack, net, 
S0.75. 

UNCLE FRANK'S MARY. Clemen- 
tia. net, $1.50. 

UPS AND DOWNS OF MARJORIE. 
Waggaman. net, $0.75. 

VIOLIN MAKER. Smith, net, $0.75. 

WINNETOU, THE APACHE 
KNIGHT. Taggart. net, $1.00. 

YOUNG COLOR GUARD. Bone- 
steel, net, $0.75. 



vn. NOVELS 

ISABEL C. CLARKE'S GREAT NOV- THE REST HOUSE. 



ELS. Each, net, $2.25. 
URSULA FINCH. 
THE ELSTONES. 
EUNICE. 

LADY TRENT'S DAUGHTER. 
CHILDREN OF EVE. 
THE DEEP HEART. 
WHOSE NAME IS LEGION. 
FINE CLAY. 
PRISONERS' YEARS. 



ONLY ANNE. 
THE SECRET CITADEL. 
BY THE BLUE RIVER. 



Mul- 



AGATHA'S HARD SAYING. 

Holland, net, ST.65. 
ALBERTA: ADVENTURESS. L'Er- 

mite. 8vo net, $2.25. 
BACK TO THE WORLD. Champol. 

net, $2.25. 



BARRIER, THE. Bazin. net $1.65. 
BALLADS OF CHILDHOOD. Poems. 

Earls, SJ. nmo. net, $1.50. 
BLACK BROTHERHOOD, THE. 

Garrold, SJ. net, $2.25. 
BOND AND FREE. Connor, net, 

$1.00. 

"BUT THY LOVE AND THY 
GRACE." Finn, SJ. net, $1.50. 

BY THE BLUE RIVER. Clarke. 
net, $2.2=;. 

CARROLL DARE. Waggaman. net, 

CIRCUS-RIDER'S DAUGHTER. 

Brackel. net, $1.25. 
CHILDREN OF EVE. Clarke, net, 

CONNOR D'ARCY'S STRUGGLES. 

Bertholds. net, $1.25. 
CORINNE'S VOW. Waggaman. net, 

DAUGHTER OF KINGS, A. Hink- 

son. net, $2.25. 
DEEP HEART, THE. Clarke, net, 

DION 5 ' AND THE SIBYLS. Keon. 
net, $1.25. 

ELDER MISS AINSBOROUGH, THE 

Taggart. net, $1.25. 
ELSTONES, THE. Clarke. net,$2.2$. 
EUNICE. Clarke, net, §2.25. 
FABIOLA. Wiseman, net, Si. 00. 
FABIOLA'S SISTERS. Clarke, net, 

FATAL BEACON, THE. Brackel. 
net, $1.25. 

FAUSTULA. Ayscottgh. net, $2.25. 
FINE CLAY. Clarke, net, $2.25. 
FORGIVE AND FORGET. Llngen. 
net, $1.25. 

GRAPES OF THORNS. Waggaman. 
net, $1.25. 

HEART OF A MAN. Maher. net, 

$2.2 5 . 

HEARTS OF GOLD. Edhor. net, 
$1.25. 

HEIRESS OF CRONENSTEIN. 

Hahn-Hahn. net, Si. 00. 
HER BLIND TOLLY. Holt, net, 

HER FATHER'S DAUGHTER. Htnk- 

son. net, $2.25. 
HER FATHER'S SHARE. Power. 

net, $1.25. 

HER JOURNEY'S END. Cooke. 
net, $1.25. 

IDOLS; or THE SECRET OF THE 
RUE CHAUSSE D'ANTIN. de 
Navery. net, $1.25. 

IN GOD'S GOOD TIME. Ross, net, 
$1.00. 

IN SPITE OF ALL. Stantforth, net, 
$1.25. 



IN THE DAYS OF KING HAL. 

Taggart. net, $1.25. 
IVY HEDGE, THE. Egan. net, 

$2.25. 

KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS. 

Harrison, net, $1.25. 
LADY TRENT'S DAUGHTER. 

Clarke, net, $2.25. 
LIGHT OF HIS COUNTENANCE. 

Hart, net, $1.00. 
"LIKE UNTO A MERCHANT." 

Gray, net, $2.25. 
LINKED LIVES. Douglas. ^,$2.25. 
LITTLE CARDINAL. Parr, net, 

$1.65. 

LOVE OF BROTHERS. Hlnkson. net, 
$2.25. 

MARCELLA GRACE. Mulholland. 
net, $1.25. 

MARIE OF THE HOUSE D'ANTERS. 

Earls, SJ. net, $2.25. 
MELCHIOR OF BOSTON. Earls, 

SJ. net, $1.25. 
MIGHTY FRIEND, THE. L'Ermite. 

net, $2.25. 

MIRROR OF SHALOTT. Benson. 

net, $2.25. 
MISS ERLN. Francis, net, $1.25. 
MR. BILLY BUTTONS. Lecky. net, 

MONK'S PARDON, THE. de Nav- 
ery. net, $1.25. 

MY LADY BEATRICE. Cooke, net, 
$1.00. 

NOT A JUDGMENT. Keon. net, 
$1.65. 

ONLY ANNE. Clarke, net, $2.25. 
OTHER MISS LISLE. Martin, net, 
$1.00. 

OUT OF BONDAGE. Holt, net, 
$1.25. 

OUTLAW OF CAMARGUE. deLa- 

mothe. net, $1.25. 
PASSING SHADOWS. Yorke. net, 

S1.65. 

PERE MONNIER'S WARD. Lecky. 
net, §1.65. 

PLLKINGTON HEIR, THE. Sad- 

lier. net, Si. 25. 
PRISONERS' YEARS. Clarke, net, 

$2.25- 

PRODIGAL'S DAUGHTER, THE, 
AND OTHER STORIES. Bugg. 
net, $1.50. 

PROPHET'S WIFE. Browne, net, 
Si. 25. 

RED INN OF ST. LYPHAR. Sad- 

lier. net, $1.25. 
REST HOUSE, THE. Clarke, net, 

$2.25. 

ROSE OF THE WORLD. Martin. 
net, $1.25. 



S3 



ROUND TABLE OF AMERICAN 
CATHOLIC NOVELISTS. ne/,$i.2*. 

ROUND TABLE OF FRENCH CATH- 
OLIC NOVELISTS, net, $1.2 

ROUND TABLE OF GERMAN 
CATHOLIC NOVELISTS. net, 

ROUND TABLE OF IRISH AND 
ENGLISH CATHOLIC NOVEL- 
ISTS, net, $1.25. 

RUBY CROSS, THE. Wallace, net, 

RULER OF THE KINGDOM. Keon. 

net, $1.65. 

SECRET CITADEL, THE. Clarke. 

net, $2.25. 

SECRET OF THE GREEN VASE. 

Cooke, net, $1.00. 
SHADOW OF EVERSLEIGH. Lans- 

downe. net, $1.00. 
SHIELD OF SILENCE Henry-Rot- 

Fin. net, $2.25. 
SO AS BY FIRE. Connor, net, $1.25. 
SON OF SIRO, THE. Copus, S.J. 

net, $2.25. 

STORY OF CECILIA, THE. Hinkson. 

net, $1.65. 
STUORE. Earls, S J. net, $1.50. 
TEMPEST OF THE HEART. Gray. 

net, $1.25. 

TEST OF COURAGE. Ross, net, 
$1.00. 

THAT MAN'S DAUGHTER. Ross. 
net, $1.25. 

THEIR CHOICE. Skinner, net, 
$1.00. 



THROUGH THE DESERT. Sien- 

ktewicz. net, $2.25. 
TIDEWAY, THE. Ayscotjgh. net, 

$2.25. 

TRAINING OF SILAS. Devme. net, 

TRUE' STORY OF MASTER 
GERARD. Sadlier. net, $1.65. 

TURN OF THE TIDE, THE. Gray. 
net, $1.25. 

UNBIDDEN GUEST, THE. Cooke. 
net, $1.00. 

UNDER THE CEDARS AND THE 

STARS. Canon Sheehan. net, $2.25. 
UP IN ARDMUIRLAND. Barrett, 

O.S.B. net, $1.65. 
URSULA FINCH. Clarke. «e/,S2.2 5 . 
VOCATION OF EDWARD CONWAY, 

THE. Egan. net, $1.65. 
WARGRAVE TRUST, THE. Reh>. 

net, $1.65. 

WAR MOTHERS. Poems. Garesche', 

S.J. net, S0.60. 
WAY THAT LED BEYOND, THE. 

Harrison, net, $1.25. 
WEDDING BELLS OF GLENDA- 

LOUGH, THE. Earls, S.J. net, 

WHEN LOVE IS STRONG. Keon. 

net, $1.65. 
WHOSE NAME IS LEGION. Clarke. 

net, $2.25. 

WOMAN OF FORTUNE, A. Reed. 
net, $1.65. 



13 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Jan. 2006 

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